Bitter Lies
by 185-aixelsyD-581
Summary: There's a phenomenon that has only happened a handful of times in the history of the world. and if Harry can survive this, it would legalize everything, if he can forgive Severus that is. the major plot in later chapters. WARNINGS: Pedophilia Rape MPreg
1. Chapter 1

**Bitter Lies by: 185-aixelsyD-581**

**A/N: **_So I was inspired by a fellow author to write my first ever FanFic!! Woot! Okay fellow Snarry lovers, I'm sorta just making this up as I go, so bare with me, okay? This takes place sometime at the beginning of the forth-year. There will be a rape scene in this story, (I hope I didn't scare anyone away _T-T_) but please if you are appalled by the idea just __**PLEASE**__ read through it anyway, I assure you the two have equal feelings for each other, and both rather enjoy it. _: D_ Also, there will be M.Preg. (male pregnancy) later in the story. (I hope to go far with this, but I'll need encouragement) On another note, I plan to update every Saturday evening. But you see, my computer went up in smoke and I don't have internet at my house, but my grandparents do. So I intend to update when I can. Please stick with me. Also I hope to have a friend of mine be the Beta to this story so I give her credit for it now, woot Devlin!! –kk- hope you enjoy and please review and message me. _; )

**DISCLAIMER: **_There is no one on this planet that loves Severus Snape as much as I do, but unfortunately he is a fictional character and I am not the god that created him, I leave the glory and honor to one J.K. Rowling. _

**CH. 1**

The Start of It

Severus Snape had just dismissed his fourth year morning class Gryffindors and his own Slytherins. He stood to retreat into his personal offices to grade the essays he had them do the night before when he noticed that the fourteen-year-old Harry Potter stood in the middle of the classroom, watching his potions professor; a curious look on his face.

"Can I help you, Potter?" asked the Slytherin head-of-house in his normal snide.

Harry only relaxed his estranged expression and looked around the room as if he hadn't known he was still there. "S-sorry, professor." He stammered just as his astute read-haired friend stuck his head in the doorway.

"C'mon Harry." He said confused when he saw his friend there. Harry turned around surprised; his book-bag slung over one shoulder.

"Sorry." He said and then without another word to the befuddled potions master hurried out the door.

"Hey man," said Ron when they were a safe distance away from the dungeons. "We were halfway to the Great Hall before we realized you weren't with us. Hermione went ahead to the Green House but I ran back to find you. What were you doing just standing there, mate?" Ron gave a concerned look at his best friend who still seemed a little off.

"Sorry I really have no idea, one minute I was grabbing my stuff to leave, then the next…I don't know it's like I was lost, like…oh I don't know, then Snape said something just before you came in, is that weird or what?"

"Yeah…" When they arrived at the green house they were late, and had a few points deducted from their house. As they pruned atypical plants the conversation changed to a lighter topic; the upcoming triwizard tournament.

That was the start of it.

The Beginning

Severus had watched the two boys expeditiously leave his classroom and after a few pondering moments he seized the stack of essays and escaped into his office. While he graded the papers he allowed himself to forget the event.

It wasn't until he came upon Harry's paper did he realize what the expression on the boy's face had been whilst he was staring at the man. It was…hungry, but not for food, it was as if the boy was hungry for his potions professor. But surely that wasn't it.

He read the essay twice noticing how frequently Harry doubled words or completely veered off from what he was originally saying; as if the boy had lost his train of thought, and then after recovering himself started where he had left off. There were scribbles over misspelled words or covering notes on the edges of the paper. Severus allowed a small chuckle at the image the golden boy nodding-off in the middle of the night trying to complete his homework.

No doubt he had only written the paper that morning at breakfast instead of doing his homework properly. At least that's what Severus would have normally thought except for what had happened only moments ago.

The potions master quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts; of course the boy had procrastinated and had not done any research of any kind. In fact he hadn't paid attention at all during the day's lesson, not that he ever did, but, --now that Snape was thinking about it-- Harry had seemed a little more distracted then his usual.

The man made a quick swift motion, marking the paper with a large "F"; and continued to the rest of the stack before his next class began.

That night Harry lay in his four poster bed with the curtains drawn unable to fall asleep. Images of his potions professor kept popping up in his mind. What must he have thought when he saw Harry just staring at him?

Harry groaned and ran his hand over his face, he hadn't known how long he had been staring; he hadn't even realized the class had left. He was so lost in his own world imagining a way to get a chance to be alone with the man. And while he was thinking he unintentionally accomplished his goal. But the look on the man's face when he saw Harry staring at him…Snape must think he was mentally ill or something of the sort.

How _did_ Harry want the professor to think about him? Obviously he cared what the man thought or else this wouldn't be bothering him so much. He hadn't been able to pay attention all night while he was writing his essay, he kept loosing track of what he was thinking about, finding his mind wandering to a certain hook-nosed greasy-haired potions professor. And in class he imagined having a real conversation with the man, as he stared at his lips and listened to that, deep yet at the same time nasally, voice. A question suddenly bloomed into his thoughts; what would it be like to _kiss_ those lips?

Instantly Harry was blown away by his imagination. Where in the world did that come from?! What was he thinking?! Snape?! The greasy git, dungeon bat?! No, certainly, he never thought that. It never happened. But Harry couldn't deny it, after that one thought, now he craved to feel the man's arms tightly wrapped around him, and those lips crushed against Harry's. He would never admit to anyone, he couldn't even admit it –outright-- to himself.

Harry sighed heavily and rolled over on his side, and forced nothing but a black screen to fill his thoughts, but Snape's voice crowded in, '_Can I help you, Potter?_'

At the time Harry was going to say –while in his trance—"There's many things you can help me with." Or even, "Yes, professor, there is. Is there anything I can help _you_ with?" But of course he didn't say either, too appalled that his mind could conjure up such smut; and he was grateful he hadn't. After all what would his dear old "Greasy Git" think of him if he had?

Harry fell asleep to the repeating sound of the man's low voice, his dreams absurdly filled with Snape.

Severus closed his eyes and saw the "hungry" young boy standing in his classroom, for the twelfth time that evening; and opened them again. He didn't know what to make of it, maybe the boy was having some sort of fit. Maybe Harry was ill, and that was the reason behind the confusion of his essay and his being distracted all morning. Not that he cared; the boy was a nuisance, and certainly lacking in skill when it came to potions.

But for just a moment the man allowed himself to believe that the boy was smitten over him; and imagined what would've happened if his cohort –Ronald Weasley— hadn't intruded. What would it have led to, if, after all, Potter was infatuated with him?

His thoughts wandered to mindless sex, which he had lived much of his life without. It was certainly a sin to imagine the young boy bent over Severus' desk looking over his shoulder with a pleadingly lust-filled look. But, if only for a moment, he let himself.

That was the Beginning.

**A/N: **_End of chapter ichi! (Japanese for one) Let me know what you think of it, I know it's not much so far but it'll get there, and I know many of you will just read it and never review, it's okay I'm that way too. But if you could find it in your hearts, I would really appreciate it, I need all the help I can get. Especially with keeping the characters within character. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: welcome to chapter two

**A/N:**_ welcome to chapter two!_

**DISCLAIMER: (**_me bowing_**-) **_--o JK Rowling_

**CH. 2**

Telling him

The next day Harry didn't have potions class, his day was normal, squeezing Buboturbers in herbology; and trying to feed blast ended skrewtz in Hagrids class, then getting multiple warnings of death and unavoidable doom in divination. All in all a pretty normal day at Hogwarts.

However, he had a two hour potions class at the end of the next day; with slytherins of course. Harry had thought he had regained his composer after all, last night he hadn't had a single thought about the man. But that had not changed anything, Harry entered the dungeons –first one to arrive, followed soon by Ron and Hermione—he stopped in the doorway looking on at his professor; who stood sneering back at the boy.

"What is it Potter?" he snapped feeling uncomfortable, especially after the night before, now when he saw the boy all he could think about was how it would be to fuck his brains out.

"Practicals, today professor? But I didn't bring any of my materials." said Harry noticing the caldrons and moving up to stand in front of the man's desk.

"I told every one at the end of class the other day, you, like always, were not paying attention. You'll just have to do your best…" he said glaring up at the boy.

Harry sighed, but couldn't tare his eyes away from Snape's onyx ones. It was only when Snape changed his expression, furrowing his eyebrows looking up at him with pure confusion that he snapped out of it. "Are you ill Potter? Get to your seat."

Harry was shocked out of his thoughts and hurried to sit beside his friends. They were paired up in twos to work on their project; Harry's partner was very aggravated at him that he forgot his supplies and had to do most of the potion herself. Needless to say it wasn't very good, and that was a blow to Hermione's pride.

"I can't believe you forgot today was practicals." She groaned as she stirred in the diced figs.

"I'm sorry Herm. Really I am." But his words lacked feeling as he was staring intensely at the man at the front of the room.

Hermione, noticing this, stopped what she was doing and looked curiously at her friend. "Harry, what is it? What are you staring at?"

"What?" Harry quickly turned to face his friend; she looked at him skeptically and shook her head.

"What's with you Harry? You're fine any other class, but when it comes to potions, you're somewhere else." She said like a worried mother.

"R-really? You noticed that?" Harry lowered his gaze to his hands on the desk.

"Of course I have, it's only been for the last couple of days, but you have been acting weird. Now, what's wrong? Are you having difficulty with this class? Your grades have never been spectacular, --even though I always thought you could do better—you were okay."

"Hermione, I'm fine, honestly; just a little distracted." Harry looked into the face of his bushy-haired friend and smiled weakly.

"Alright…" she said unbelievingly.

"Now that you two are done _chatting_, could you kindly see to your potion, before you kill us all?" remarked Snape from the front of the room. He had been glaring at the two since the middle of their conversation, but they hadn't noticed.

Hermione immediately turned back to the potion, which was boiling dangerously, and Harry had turned to face the teacher, and was now staring deep into the man's patronizing black eyes.

"Mister Potter, since you have neglected to bring your supplies, you will be serving detention with me in this classroom, after supper today." Snape was a little taken aback when the "boy who lived" stared at him once more with that hungry look in his face. The only thing Severus could do to regain himself was give the boy detention. Now that was a brilliant idea, have the boy you can't keep out of your mind alone with you for two hours, thought Snape as he looked away from the boy and back at the potions book in his hand.

After class Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked behind the rest of the class on their way to the great hall for the evening meal. Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley walked side by side a few yards from their friend.

"I'm telling you," Hermione whispered hoarsely to the red-headed boy walking beside her. "He needs tutoring. Did you see the grade on his essay Snape handed back today? It was _horrid_!"

"'Mione!" Ron whined in a whisper, "He's our best friend, we should be trying to _save_ him from tutorials with the 'Dungeon Vampire', not encourage his _death_."

"_Really_, Ronald. You know it would be the best thing for him."

"'_Best thing_'?! Are you bonkers? Snape would murder him." Ron noticing Hermione was about to interrupt quickly jibbed, "Hey I know; why don't _you _tutor Harry?"

Hermione stopped mid-retort, shocked that she hadn't thought of that herself. Of course she could help her friend out, maybe then he would start acting normal.

Harry sat down at the griffyndor table next to Fred and George, Hermione sat next to him and Ron say opposite him.

The twins noticed Harry's dazed mood and looked at Ron and Hermione with questioning expressions. Ron just shook his head, 'I don't know', and Hermione shrugged her shoulders looking at them pleadingly to help.

Fred was the first to say anything, he leaned in close and whispered, "What's up Harry? Why so glum?"

Harry –shocked out of his thoughts—jumped in surprise. Fred and George laughed, along with Ron and Hermione's snickers of amusement.

"W-what did you say?" he asked head still reeling from the surprise.

"Well, I did ask why you seemed so upset, but I guess you're just distracted." Fred sniggered.

"What's the deal Harry?" asked George leaning his head around his brother's so Harry could see him.

"Umm…" Harry didn't know how to answer as his eyes drifted to the teacher's table at the front of the room. The green orbs landed on the potions professor taking a drink from his goblet. Harry's vision hazed as he stared at the beautiful man, his breathing short and heart pounding in his head.

The others followed his gaze; Fred looked from one to the other and back again.

"Harry…wha-…"

"Probably just dreading his detention tonight." Ron said turning back to his food.

The others seemed to pass this off but Harry quickly turned around to stare shocked at his best friend. "What?! What detention?"

Everyone looked at him curiously, "The, detention you got from Snape…just a little while ago; for not bringing your materials to class today." Said Ron swallowing a mouthful of mashed potatoes with his brows furrowed in confusion.

"I don't remember that." Harry looked up frightened at the front of the room where he found Snape staring at him as well. Harry's heart skipped a beat as his eyes locked with his professor's.

"Harry…" said Hermione worried. "You were looking right at him when he told you."

"I-I was?" he asked without looking away from the man.

"Yes, Harry I think…" she trailed off realizing Harry wasn't listening anyway and turned to look at Ron with a worried expression.

Dinner continued in silence Harry worrying about –and at the same time, anxious for—the detention. Two hours alone with the man, just two days ago he had wanted to find a way to accomplish such a goal, but after those thoughts Harry was unsure if _all_ he wanted to do was _talk_ to him.

**A/N: **_End of chapter ni (Japanese for two) hope you enjoyed! . please let me know what you think of it! (that means review!) k thanks!._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **_Welcome to chapter three!! . __**warning!**__ Rape in this chapter. So I got some reviews, thnzx! but some are telling me to change my summary and others are saying they love it, please let me know what i should do we'll take a vote by review, and the more i get that says i should change it, i'll make it normal, or the more i get that says to leave it I'll leave it. just let me know. _

**DISCLAIMER: **_I do not own any of the characters in this story, the wonderful and amazing J.K. Rowling does. bows down and kisses feet_

DETENTION

Expressing it

Harry slowly worked his way to the dungeons staring at the floor while he walked, the sound of laughter slowly faded behind him as all his classmates dispersed into their according houses.

He was shocked when he arrived at the door to the potions room. He hadn't realized he had been walking so fast. He took a deep breath to steady himself and put a hand on the doorknob. When he entered Snape was sitting at the desk at the front of the room. He looked up from the potions text in his hand and raised one eyebrow at the boy in the doorway.

"In a hurry to get here Potter?" he asked noticing the time and book-marking his place.

Harry blushed and closed the door behind him. He stood there staring at the man his vision hazing and heart beat quickening. His whole body tingled with the urge to touch and be touched. His imagination ran off course with the man standing up walking around the desk and grabbing Harry in a fierce kiss. Snape's hands working ferociously to remove all of the boy's clothing.

"What is it Potter?!" snapped the professor still in his position behind the desk.

Harry gasped and swallowed thickly. "W-…will I be cleaning out caldrons…professor?"

Snape just glared at him his mind racing behind those deep set black eyes. The boy had given him that look again, the one that stirred something deep within his loins. The images of the dream he had the night before suddenly filled his thoughts. "No," he said in response to Harry's question. "No cleaning today mister Potter." He slowly rose from his seat, setting the book down on the desk and pulling his wand out from his cloak. "Come here."

As Harry walked forward Snape raised his wand and warded the door locked. He put a second ward on the room to silence any noise that might escape.

"Sir?" said Harry nervous

"Clean off my desk Potter." ordered the professor stepping to the side and removing his cloak. He hung it on a peg on the wall as Harry moved to stack the papers in a neat pile.

"Every thing off, you can put them on the other desks for now." Snape watched as Harry moved around the room taking things from his desk and putting them on the students'. "Very good." He said when the desk was cleared of everything.

"Sir, why do you-"

"Take off your cloak. You can hang it up here." Snape indicated the place where he hung up his cloak, right beside where he was leaning against the wall.

Harry swallowed hard, something wasn't right. He pealed off his outer layer as he tried not to look the man in the eyes. He held up the cloak by the collar and hesitated. After a quizzical look from his professor he hurried and covered Snape's cloak with his own. As he was lowering his hand the man grabbed his elbow and spun the boy around. He held Harry close to him and looked straight into his child-like green eyes. "Does this make you uncomfortable Potter?" he asked his face so close Harry could feel his breath ghost over his lips.

"A…a little, sir." He sputtered genuinely shocked; his whole body riddled with electric sparks from being so close to the man.

"Then this is going to be very unpleasant for you." He said with a growl then he pushed Harry back until he fell across the desk he had just cleared off.

The edge caught Harry's lower back and he screamed out in pain. Severus spun the boy around so that he was lying along the desk instead of across it. His cock jumped in excitement when Harry screamed, he pulled on the boy's legs so that his rump was hanging slightly over the side.

Harry groaned as the pain shot up his spine when he was turned. Snape's hand came up to tilt his head back. His thumb on the under of the boy's chin and his long spindly fingers wrapped around one side of his neck. Instantly the man's lips and tongue were exploring the exposed flesh as the other hand worked to undo Harry's pants.

"N-No!" Harry groaned, too paralyzed by shock and pain to fight back.

Severus didn't say anything; he just stood back and tugged off the boy's shoes and socks then finally his pants, until the only thing standing in his way was the pair of boxers that fell lightly over Harry's soft skin.

Harry couldn't move his legs, every time he tried pain shot all throughout his body. He groaned and closed his hands around the edges of the desk.

Snape pulled the soft fabric off his student's body. For a minute he stared allowing himself to store the beautiful site into his memory forever. It took him only a few seconds to tug off his own pants and underwear, and then he was standing half naked in front of "the boy who lived". He stepped in between Harry's legs and ran his hands across the sensitive skin. Harry's eyes glazed over with what was unmistakably lust as he looked at the man, noting how long and thick he was. His breathing was heavy as he looked up into the man's stern eyes. Harry could tell his mind was made up long ago; there was no way he would stop now.

Snape leaned down and claimed the small muscle between Harry's throat and shoulder. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and hissed through his teeth.

As the man marked his property his hand pushed up the boy's shirt and pinched a sensitive nipple. Working the nub between his fingers as he pulled back to observe his work. There was a small wound where he was biting previously with a little bit of blood. Severus smirked and released the boy's nipple and let his hand trail down his abdomen and gripped the base of Harry's cock.

Harry squeaked in surprise and tried to reach out to stop the potions professor. Snape grabbed the boy's flailing hands –with his free hand—and pinned them to the desk above Harry's head. He moaned and threw back his head biting his lip to try and distract himself.

When Harry was good and hard Severus stopped his onslaught of the boy's member and pressed a slick finger into his opening. Harry gasped and tried to pull his hands free but Snape held strong. After a second finger was added Harry gave up. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes waiting for it to be over with.

Severus added a third finger before removing his hand and situating himself at the boy's entrance. He let himself look at the scene before him and growled hungrily as he pushed himself into the boy. Harry's body instantly reacted; he tensed up and arched his injured back moaning loudly.

Snape's breathing hitched and he allowed himself to get used to the tightness. He groaned in unison with the boy beneath him as he pulled out, and then pushed back in. Harry's chest rose and fell quickly with each breath he took and released.

A few more thrusts later, Severus quickened the pace –and after noticing the lack of fight on Harry's part, released his hands and gripped the boy's hips for better leverage--.

Harry lay limp beneath the man all resistance gone. For a minute all he did was watch the man plow into him and enjoyed the feeling. As a twisting feeling rose in his stomach the boy reached up pulled the man down by his long greasy hair, and kissed him; devouring his thin lips. Severus moved one arm up to balance himself on his elbow and nipped at Harry's lower lip. The boy gladly opened his mouth to let the man's tongue enter. After a minute Snape pulled back a fraction of an inch for breath and Harry moved to wrap his arms around the man's body. Severus's back arched up as he came hard releasing himself into the boy, while still in the clouds he leaned down and whispered hoarsely into the boy's ear.

"Harry…"

Instantly Harry came his body shivering with the orgasm and fingers digging into the muscles of the man's back.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Snape pulled out and stared at the boy on the desk. "I shouldn't have done that." He said.

Harry looked up at him through crooked glasses, with an expression that read "Hello, I am thoroughly shagged." Severus picked his wand up from the floor flicked it at the boy, and at himself.

Harry felt the static of the cleaning charm lifting all sweat and other bodily juices from his body; tingling his insides while it removed the warmth. He looked up at the man who had just fucked his brains out.

Severus wasn't able to look at Harry, shame from his poor lack of control. He threw the boy's pants and underwear at him and said, "Clothe yourself Potter." and picked up his own discarded garments.

Before Harry could protest the man had retreated into his private offices. Harry lay there alone and confused. He stood a little stiff from soreness and his back was screaming at him. After Harry "clothed himself" he slowly replaced the objects on his professor's desk, his mind in a fuzz. He was hoping Snape might come back out while he was still there, and when he didn't Harry left, defeated.

**A/N: **_End of chapter san! (Japanese for three) Well, the golden boy is no longer a virgin! In the next chapter we'll see the confusion play out. The guilt Snape is experiencing and the want, and wet dreams, of Mr. Potter. Please review and give me some ideas for what's to come! I have a vague idea, or outline, but I need specifics. That's where you all come in. So, REVIEW! It's very helpful. Thanks for reading. Chapter four coming soon, with your help._


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Welcome to chapter four

**A/N: **_Welcome to chapter four. In chapter three we saw a sort of confession from Snape. How will Harry cope with his estranged feelings when Severus ignores him? And how will Severus handle being around the boy who oddly enough showed the same feelings he had when he "raped" him? _

**DISCLAIMER: **_I ran out of cool things to say for a disclaimer so this is the last one, I don't own anything!_

AVOIDANCE

It was a Saturday and Harry had slept in late. His dreams consisted of the night before and possible futures it could lead to. When he arrived back at the Gryffindor tower his friends had been surprised to see him back almost an hour earlier then he was supposed to. Thankfully for Harry they didn't pester him about it and he was able to take a shower and go to bed before anyone else came up.

Now he lay awake staring out into space, the sun shining through the windows and warming his face. He had a small smile on his face looking forward to the next time he could see his professor again.

Everyone had already gone to breakfast and Hogsmead after that. Harry decided he should get up and get ready to sneak into the wizarding village.

He stood and crossed the room to the bathroom. After he had showered and gotten dressed he hurried out of the tower, map and invisibility cloak in hand. When he got to the cellar of Honeydukes Harry ran up the stairs and out of the little candy store. As soon as he was clear he peeled his cloak off and folded it over his arm. He turned around to go and find Ron and Hermione when he ran smack into a wall of muscle.

He stumbled back but caught his balance before he could fall. He looked up into deep black as oil eyes.

"Pr-Professor!" Harry's heart beat quickened and his cheeks flushed.

Severus took a step back and looked away from the boy. He could feel his pulse quicken. He hadn't slept well that night and definitely didn't want Hogsmead duty today.

"Sorry sir." He heard Harry say sheepishly. He chanced a glance at the boy and saw that he was blushing. Snape was taken aback, Harry, blushing over me? He looked away again and started to walk around the boy, trying to escape.

"Sir? Could we talk?" Severus was already passed him and stopped. Harry had turned to face him as he walked away and now looked very uncomfortable.

"No." he said without looking at the boy. "There's nothing to talk about." And with that he took off, cloak flaring out behind him.

Harry was left by himself gawking at the man. "Nothing?" Harry felt like crying and wanted to run away. Just as the tears started to sting his eyes he heard his friends coming up behind him.

"Hey Harry! Glad you could make it mate." said Ron coming to stand beside him. "I thought you'd never wake up this morning." he laughed.

As usual it was Hermione who noticed his upset disposition. "What's wrong Harry?" she asked from his other side. Ron's smile quickly disappeared as he looked at his friend.

"Nothing." He repeated.

"C'mon Harry lets go get some sweets. That'll cheer you up." They turned their friend around and led him in the opposite direction their professor went.

Severus went straight into Rosermerta's and ordered the strongest drink she had.

"I thought teachers weren't supposed to drink while chaperoning." She said from behind the bar. When he just glared up at her she quickly smiled. "Okay. I can see you need it." And with a chuckle she fixed his beverage.

When they went back to the school Harry was still upset but carefully hid it from his friends. He smiled and laughed when others did; but what he really wanted to do was curl up in his bed and die.

The rest of the weekend was the same, he didn't see Professor Snape nor did he look for him. Monday it was Herbology first thing then Hagrid's class, with the monstrous skrewts, and then Divination. When Professor Trilawney predicted that love and life would fail him, he couldn't help but think she might be right. At the noon meal he didn't look up at the teacher's table even when Dumbledor was making announcements.

He was having trouble in Charms class, with summoning charms. Of course Hermione was able to accomplish it on her first try, Harry was envious of her skill; but then, he wasn't really trying. The last class of the day was Defense against the Dark Arts, with Professor Moody.

The next day however they had Potions early in the morning with Slytherins again. Harry sat in his normal seat beside his two best friends and opened his book to the page Hermione told the boys they were studying that day. Professor Snape wasn't in the classroom yet and the students were chatting happily with one another.

"Harry." Came Hermione's voice and her friend looked up at her and smiled.

"Yeah?"

"I noticed you were having some trouble in a few of your classes. Would you…" she looked at Ron for support and he nodded his head. "Would you like me to help you?"

Harry smiled at his friends' concerns and how much they cared about him. "No thanks Herm. I've just been a little off recently, I'll get back on track." They smiled at each other and Ron cut in changing the conversation oh-so-smoothly.

"What do you think it's going to be like for the one who wins the triwizard tournament? Glory?" Ron had a far-off starry-eyed look, and Hermione and Harry both laughed at him. Harry hit him on the top of his head with his notebook.

"Hey," Ron chuckled and just then the door to Snape's private offices were flung wide open and slammed against the wall behind it. The man flew in and immediately set forth with the lesson, his back to the class.

Harry didn't look up from his notes the entire class, even though he hadn't written anything other then the date. Hermione noticed this and leaned close to whisper in her friend's ear, "Harry, you need tutoring, if you won't let me help you ask professor Snape."

Harry just looked at her unable to answer as the man in question had turned around for the first time the whole hour.

His voice rang out above the students' heads. "A two page report over Chapters seven and eight. Class is dismissed."

Everyone stood and began to pack their things; Harry slung his back-pack over one shoulder and followed his friends to the door. "Wait guys. You go on ahead; I have to talk to Professor Snape."

Ron looked surprised but Hermione smiled and led the red-head out of the classroom by the arm. After all the other students had dispersed Harry walked up slowly to the teacher's desk.

"Sir?"

"What is it Potter?" he asked without looking up from his potions book.

Harry gnawed on his lower lip in nervousness. "Sir, about Friday…I-"

"I already told you there's nothing to talk about."

"But sir, there is something to talk about."

"Fine, I don't _want_ to talk about it. It was a silly mistake I apologize, there, you got what you wanted now leave. You'll be late for your next class." he snapped.

Harry was shocked and felt the sting of tears as he turned and walked out of the room. When he got to his next class --just barely on time-- he leaned over and whispered in Hermione's ear.

"Hey, can you help me with tonight's homework for potions?"

His friend beamed at him, "Of course Harry. I'll be glad to help."

**A/N: **_End of chapter yon. (Japanese for four) I know it was kind of short and lame. This was the most boring chapter I've written and hope I don't ever have to write another like this. Anyway review please! _


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: HI

**A/N: **_HI!! I just want to thank everyone for reading my story! You're fantastic!! With this new "Reader Traffic" page I can see just how many people have been reading my story, and see just how many people have not been reviewing. :D Reviews would really boost my confidence and even make me write faster! But I've only gotten 5 out of the 2,000 + people to read. T-T. Anyway, enough about my problems; welcome to chapter five!!_

**CHAPTER 5:**

WANT

Harry and his two friends sat together in the Gryffindor common room with their potions books open. Parchment and inkbottles were spread out over the little table they sat at. Hermione had been helping the two boys, Ron had been dragged into the little study group by Hermione insisting he needed help too.

"Ron, that's not how you spell that," She said frustrated. It had been two hours since they started and each was working on their final drafts of the essay.

"Well how do _YOU_ spell it then?" snapped Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Harry.

"How's it going Harry? Need any help?" Hermione looked down at his paper and saw two words written at the top of the page. "Harry! You haven't even started!"

"Huh? What?" Harry was startled out of his trance to come face to face with "Hormonal Hermione".

"What are you doing? You have an essay to finish. All you have to do is copy from your rough-draft."

"Sorry, I…I don't know, I just sort of…"

"Dazed off? You do that a lot these days." Hermione gave him a worried expression.

"I'm fine, honest," He said picking up his quill and loading it with ink. "Look, I'm working." He smiled brightly as he jotted down the remainder of the first sentence.

Hermione shook her head in disbelief but didn't say anything more. Instead she turned her torrent on Ron once again.

When they were all finished they headed to their separate dorms and got ready for bed. Harry took a shower after Ron and dressed in a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. He came out rubbing a towel in his messy black hair. Ron was already asleep as was everyone else excluding a few who were still in the common room. He smiled at his friends and crossed over to his bed where his trunk lay open. There, inside was his invisibility cloak. Inspiration hit him like a ghastly manifestation of Voldemort from his first year. He quickly dressed back into his pants and a button down shirt and lay in his bed to wait for the last of his classmates to end their day. It didn't take long it was just two of the guys and they came up together. When they had fallen asleep Harry crawled out of bed and quickly covered himself with his father's cloak.

Before any time was wasted he was standing in the potions laboratory and knocking on the door to his professor's private quarters. Harry waited but when there was no answer he knocked again louder this time.

Finally the door swung open to reveal a sour potions master in dark blue plaid pajamas wrapping a black woolen robe around himself. Harry thought it was odd seeing the man in something other than black, and had to stifle a laugh. He had come to talk to the man and he wouldn't let anything stand in the way of that.

Severus glared at the dark empty doorway. He was sure he had heard a knock. Then, in the midst of his confusion, he felt a pair of hands against his chest gently pushing him out of the way. The man was shocked and quickly stepped back out of the reach of the ghostly touch.

"Thank you." Whispered Harry as he moved into to room and closed the door behind him. He turned around to see Snape staring very unsure in his direction. Harry thought it was comical, and peeled the cloak from his body. As he revealed himself, Severus's posture became straighter and the muscle in his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth together.

Harry sighed heavily and draped the cloak over his arm and looked up at the distraught man. "I wanted to talk." He said thickly squaring his shoulders.

"I already told you there's nothing to talk about! I've already apologized it's done, why can't you just forget it ever happened?" snapped the older man.

"How can you say that?! You and I-"

"I'M SORRY!! I didn't mean to rape you! It just happened it's almost like I couldn't stop myself!"

Harry's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Rape?"

Snape was taken back, he raised his eyebrow at the boy, surely he knew what the word meant, and surely he wasn't _that_ naïve.

"You didn't rape me. That wasn't rape." Said Harry realizing what had been troubling the man and causing his coldness. He smiled into the deep black eyes tenderly.

Severus didn't say anything for a few moments, then, hesitantly, he said, "You mean…it was…"

"Consensual." Harry finished for him his smile gentle.

"You…wanted that too then?" he asked unbelieving.

"Yes, I had for a while." Harry blushed and looked down at his hand which was fiddling with a stray piece of thread on his shirt.

No wonder Harry had been so upset when he had pushed him away, and no wonder the boy hadn't told anyone and gotten Snape fired.

Severus watched him for a while and then reached out and took Harry's idling hand and pulled him closer; one arm wrapping around the boy's small frame and holding him against his body.

"Is…this, alright then?" he asked gently brushing his lips along the boy's jaw.

Harry's smile widened and he leaned into the touch. "Yes, this is good."

Severus was still unsure, but when he captured Harry's soft lips with his own all doubt fled from his being. They stood there entwined in each other's arms sharing a passionate kiss. Harry felt electric tingles all over his body, like when his foot fell asleep and the blood was slowly returning. Butterflies erupted in his stomach and he clung to Severus's robe pulling him even closer.

When they pulled apart for breath they were both red-faced and had bright smiles. Harry lifted his hand and gently brushed his fingertips over the man's lips.

"That's nice." He said softly confusing the man.

"What is?"

"You, smiling; it's nice. I've never seen you smile before."

"And you're the only one that's going to see it."

Harry contemplated that, it sounded sad, and yet he was happy by it. "A smile just for me?"

Severus dropped his face lower to Harry's closing the distance and pressed his lips to the boys once again.

When they pulled away for a second time they were out of breath and Severus separated their two bodies keeping hold of Harry's hand and led him deeper into the room to sit on a couch in front of the fire.

Harry didn't pay attention to the details of the room; he was too busy with his body crushed against the man's and their lips inter-locked with each other. It had all happened so quickly. First Severus had been shouting at the boy and the next they were confessing their attraction for each other. And now Harry laid on the couch his potions professor on top of him their tongues dancing together and Snape's hand under Harry's shirt feeling the planes of his abdomen and chest. Harry's fingers were intertwined in the man's greasy black hair; a warmth spreading all throughout his body emanating from where Severus's palm pressed against his skin.

Severus pulled back a half inch only long enough to say, "We should probably…" kiss. "Slow down…" kiss. "Make a relationship…" kiss. "Out of this."

Harry nodded when the man pulled away to allow him to respond. Kiss. "That sounds…" kiss. "Like a good…" kiss. "Idea." Kiss.

The man moved to unbutton the confines of Harry's pants, completely ignoring his morals. Harry pushed the man's robe out of the way and started to unbutton his pajama shirt, obviously doing the same with his morals as well.

"I was surprised to see you in something other than black." He said as he revealed the muscled, and yet underfed torso of Severus Tobias Snape.

The man looked up from his work and into Harry's emerald orbs. "Blue is my favorite color."

Harry smiled brightly at the news, he had never thought of the man to be the type to have a favorite color. But then everyone had a color they preferred more then others, but he would've thought it would be black or even green for the man, not blue.

Harry hadn't noticed that Severus had managed to open his pants, but what Harry did notice was when the potions master snuck his hand under the elastic of his boxers and his fingertips toyed with the base of Harry's length.

Harry gasped but was quickly silenced by Severus's crushing lips. He moaned into the kiss and arched his body.

Severus quickly pulled away and threw off his robe and shirt and then, as if he couldn't stand not touching the boy beneath him, quickly caught his swollen lips devouring Harry. They deepened the kiss as Severus tried to push his pants down with one hand, and not having much luck with it.

Harry pulled away slightly and chuckled at the man's dilemma. He sat up on his elbows causing the man to have to lean away which gave him the perfect opportunity to remove his pants properly. As he did that, Harry pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it over the back of the couch. He leaned back against the armrest for balance as he pushed his pants past his hips and to his knees.

Severus took over then and ripped the boy's pants away from the tangle of his legs. They did all that in such a hurry it almost made Harry dizzy. The man above him slowed down and let his hands slide up Harry's legs starting from his ankles. His long spindly fingers dipped into every curve on its way up; past the back of the knees and up the side of his thighs until he reached the soft cotton fibers of Harry's boxers. He took the seam of each side in his fingers and gently pulled them down. When they were far enough down to reveal how excited the boy was Severus paused to admire the scene.

Harry blushed and averted his eyes to the side as he gnawed on his lower lip. He was self conscious even though the man had already seen him almost a week ago.

Severus made a quick job with removing the last of the clothing on both Harry and himself. Now they were bare to each other both self conscious. The man suddenly felt too thin and too pale.

He reached out and ran his fingertips down the side of Harry's neck. His fingers danced over the boy's skin playing with his collarbone and delectable shoulder. Harry let his eyes drift close as a smile crept across his features.

"Professor…"

"Please, _you_ can call me Severus," He claimed Harry's lips with his own moving his hand, trailing his fingers down the boy's body to the base of his need. "Harry."

**A/N:** _Thnx for reading! End of chapter go. (Japanese for five). About these little Japanese lessons, I hope you all like them. It's just numbers but I'll keep doing this at the end of every chapter, alright? So, remember REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! It's very important; lives may depend on the number of reviews I get. Very important, I say again. Until next time! SYONARA! –wave-_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Konnichiwa

**A/N: **_Konnichiwa! Arigato for the hachi reviews! (Hello! Thanks for the eight reviews!) That's four more then last chapter! WOOT! But it still doesn't meet my goal of a hundred or more. T-T I need your help for that. Anyway, Welcome to chapter Roku! (six) In chapter go we saw our troubled heroes regain a relationship with each other. We left them to finish out their little "Love-Fest" on the great professor's couch in front of a roaring fire. How Hawt!_

**CHAPTER 6:**

SECRETS

Harry woke to the gentle prodding's of Severus Snape. The man was petting his cheek and whispering softly to the boy.

Harry's eyes fluttered open and he saw the face of the man he'd only a few hours ago made love with multiple times. He smiled sleepily and stretched.

He was alone on the couch with a warm woolen blanket --that had the Slytherin crest embroidered on it-- wrapped around him. Severus had on a pair of black slacks –his usual wear that any one sees him in—but didn't have a shirt of yet, leaving his chest bare. He sat on the floor beside the sleeping boy watching him as he dreamed.

Harry groaned as he arched his back working out the stiffness there. "What time is it?" he yawned.

Severus gave a small half-smile and replied, "It's almost twenty 'til four, and time for you to go back to your house dorms. So no one realizes you are missing."

Harry's expression fell to a disappointed one. As did his professor's.

"Tomorrow you have a two hour potions class at the end of the day, where, shall I remind you, you are to turn in your essay. Don't forget."

"Tomorrow? Oh yeah…we don't have potions today. It still feels like yesterday." Harry chuckled.

Severus smiled as well and after their enjoyment was finished he said very seriously, "Now I'm going to warn you. Just because you are sleeping with your professor doesn't mean this professor is going to take it easy on you. I will grade your assignments like I grade every other student."

"Great, I'm gonna fail." Harry said with a smile.

Severus smiled back. "Not if you study. Now, tomorrow…I want you to…break a rule or something of the sort, during my class of course."

"What?" asked Harry confused. He rolled over onto his side and rested his head on his elbow to look directly at his lover more comfortably. "Just now you were saying how you were going to treat me like you do all your other students, and I can only assume you're excluding your very own slytherins, and now you're telling me to get into trouble. Why?"

Severus leaned closer and whispered as if telling Harry a naughty secret, "So I can give you detention of course." He smirked as he sat back and watched Harry's reaction.

A small understanding smile slowly crossed the boy's angelic face. "And what would you have me do then, professor, to earn said detention?"

"You're the rebel-rouser, be creative." He smiled and helped Harry to his feet and led him a door on the opposite wall to the fire place. "You can take a shower in here if you'd like."

Harry smiled and let the man kiss him tenderly before retreating into the bathroom.

After Harry had showered and dressed in the clothes he had worn the night before he found himself standing in the doorway that led to the potions laboratory in a heated farewell kiss. Severus had his arms wrapped around the boy crushing his small body against him. When they finally pulled away they were both breathless and their minds were back in that living room on that couch.

Harry threw the invisibility cloak over himself and hurried back to his dorm before any of his classmates woke up. He dressed in his pajamas quickly –while under the invisibility cloak, which was very difficult to do—and then sat up in his bed the curtains drawn. He didn't waste time trying to sleep he'd only get up in a few hours anyway. He sat there thinking of his plans for tomorrow. How would he earn a detention?

If Severus really was going to treat him like he normally did –which Harry hadn't doubted he would—then he could just show up a few minutes late. It would be no problem. But it was too easy. Perhaps he could just not show up at all, "skipping". Harry quickly rejected that idea, he more then ever in his life before wanted to actually go to his potions class. He'd have to come up with something while he was in the classroom; at the moment he was too preoccupied thinking of how his potions professor would "punish" him afterward.

His classmates woke up about an hour after the sun had risen and after the first few were up and about Harry emerge from his bed. Harry quickly dressed and after he was completely ready he stood and looked at his friend's sleeping form. A loud snore erupted from his chest and Harry grabbed the pillow off of his bed and brought it down hard on the red-head's chest.

Ron grunted and jumped in shock causing him to fall off the edge of his bed. Harry had to jump back a few feet in order to avoid serious damage to his legs. Ron landed with a loud thump and groaned, "Haaarryyyy!"

"C'mon mate; it's time to get up. I'm going to breakfast. I'll meet you in the Great Hall." Harry chuckled and threw his pillow back on his bed and the hurried down stairs to the common room; where he found Hermione waiting.

"Good morning Hermione." He said with a bright smile on his face.

She instantly picked up his good mood and replied with an equally large smile, "Good morning Harry. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why such a good mood?"

"Uh…" Harry didn't know what to tell her. He certainly couldn't say, "because all of last night I was having amazing anal with my lover, you know him, professor Snape." Nope that wouldn't do. So instead he came up with something that would barely work and would flatter his best friend at the same time. "Well, I'm just so relieved I got my homework finished last night. Thanks to you of course."

Hermione's smile brightened, showing off her large teeth. "And where's Ron?" she asked.

"He's just now waking up. I told him we'd meet him in the Great Hall." Together they hurried to breakfast and sat beside the other with an empty seat across from them for Ron. Harry glanced up at the teacher's table a few times catching Severus's eyes. Thankfully Hermione never noticed, and Ron was too busy stuffing his face to care.

The rest of the day was uneventful except the few times he passed a certain potions teacher in the hall, and they both pretended to ignore the other. The next day however Harry was trying very hard to think of something to do in order to get a detention. He resorted in watching Neville Longbottom throughout the day hoping to get inspiration from his clumsiness. By the time potions rolled around he still had no idea.

He had tried to forget his supplies again, because the last hour of class was practicles and they were making poison antidotes, but Hermione made sure that he wouldn't forget them. He also tried to be late for class but Hermione stopped that effort too.

DETENTION

Harry entered the potions laboratory Hermione in front of him and Ron lagging behind him. When Snape saw him he quickly looked at the clock, and his face fell –if that was even possible. He turned his attention back to the boy, where he glowered at him.

Harry noticed this and as they were arranging themselves in their seats He shrugged at the man and nodded his head toward the bushy-haired girl beside him. Severus understood it was Granger's fault Harry was on time and he glared at her as the other students filed in.

"If you would, lay your essays out on your desk and turn to page four-fifty in your potions text." Severus looked hopefully at Harry and the boy laid his paper on the top left corner of his desk, Hermione smiling proudly at her friend. Then he opened his book and laid it out in front of himself. The potions professor walked to the back of the room and picked up each essay one at a time, while making sure every student had their book open to the proper place. He set the stack on his desk to await grading as he went on with his lecture.

Harry found himself actually paying attention; it seemed that potions had suddenly gotten interesting when the lecture was spoken with Severus's deep voice.

After the first hour was over each student cleared their spaces and brought out their caldrons and ingredients. Severus watched Harry carefully but was once again disappointed when he saw the boy had all his supplies. The man raised one eyebrow at Harry when the boy looked in his direction. Harry shrugged again then his attention was stolen by the bushy-haired girl to his left.

"Now, aren't you glad I reminded you to bring your practical materials?" she beamed at Harry.

"Yeah…thanks Herm." Harry replied dejectedly. Class was half over and Harry hadn't done anything to land him in detention. It wasn't this hard before. It seemed now that he wanted to get in to trouble he couldn't. Where as before he could have just simply spilt a little of his potion on the floor and- That was it! As if a light bulb went off in his head Harry had an idea.

Every student's poison antidotes were nearly complete and so was the two hour potions class and Snape was getting worried that Harry didn't have a clue. Severus had planned a "date" of sorts for the two of them. If Harry didn't do something soon he'd have to make up something, which wasn't exactly fair. Just as he thought this, Harry stood; the act causing his caldron to wobble dangerously. He watched in horror as the boy reached out to steady it. In a flash Severus was to his feet and hurrying across the room. Harry who obviously hadn't used his brains grabbed the sides of the caldron. The bulbous pot hand just recently been over an open flame and was scorching hot.

"GET BACK!!" screamed the potions professor as Harry quickly released the caldron and it toppled to the floor spilling its contents. Students jumped out of the way as the liquid caught fire and spread over the floor. Hermione screamed and ran out of the way Ron in the other direction following after the other students. Harry, who had been the closest to the disaster, had jumped up on his chair and was now surrounded by fire.

"HARRY!" screamed Hermione from somewhere in the back of the classroom where the students were evacuating.

Lavender Brown, who was standing next to Parvati Patil, shouted, "CLIMB ONTO THE DESKS!"

Harry evaluated that option, directly in front of him was an open flame where his caldron had previously been. And in the surrounding places were caldrons full of clearly flammable liquid situated over flames of their own.

"EVERY ONE OUT!" shouted professor Snape. Immediately Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and Ron who was also close by, evacuated. "Stay right where you are!" he shouted at his lover and pulled out his wand. In a swift motion the flame that was used to heat Harry's antidote was extinguished.

Harry looked at him for instructions he felt the bottoms of his feet getting hot as the flames licked the under of his seat.

"On top of the desk, Harry!" He said with not a bit of anger in his voice. He watched as the boy stepped carefully onto the desk and then look at him once more. "Okay," Severus looked around at the edge of the fire. "Jump! I'll catch you!"

Harry looked nervously the flames beneath him, and then back at the man unsure. Severus opened his arms preparing to catch the small boy. Harry gulped and closed his eyes taking a deep breath. And then with his eyes fixed on the worried black orbs of his lover; he jumped.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**__ Hi everyone!! ^3^ did you miss me? Well I'm back, and I've brought you more amazing Snarry!! Now I know you missed that. ." So here is the long lost chapter seven, or chapter nana. ^-^_

**CH. 7**

DATE

Harry landed safely in his professor's arms and the man quickly carried the boy out of the room to join the rest of his classmates.

"HARRY!!!!" screamed Hermione. She ran and embraced him as soon as Snape set him on his feet. "I WAS SO SCARED!! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

"Calm down 'Mione." said Ron trying to peel her off of his friend. "Just look at him. He doesn't look okay to me. Give him some air."

Hermione stepped back but still kept her hands on Harry's arms. Just as she was about to say something to him the professor shouted, louder and angrier then anyone's ever heard him before.

"EVERYONE LEAVE!! GET OUT OF HERE NOW! CLASS IS DISMISSED!" Severus could feel the heat of anger boil in his blood. It wasn't that he was angry at anyone, just himself, at being so scared. And maybe Harry, just a little bit, for putting himself in danger.

"C'mon mate let's get out of here." said Ron and he tried to grab Harry's arm and pull him after the rest of the class ---who were making a quick escape---.

"NO!" snapped the potions master. "Mister Potter will stay behind with me to clean the room and spend the remainder of his short life in detention. Snape glared down at his lover.

"But sir! It was an accident, Harry didn't mean to knock over the cauldron." protested Hermione.

"Shut Up Miss Granger!" Snape turned his torrent on the girl.

"Sorry Harry." Said Ron he took Hermione's hand and quickly led her down the hall.

Harry was chewing mercilessly at his lower lip when Severus finally said something. The boy genuinely thought the man was really mad at him. But that thought was quickly dispelled by the following.

"Harry…" Severus wrapped his arms tightly around the boy burying his face in his neck. Harry could tell he wasn't mad at him at all, just scared. That tiny bit of knowledge mad the boy's heart swell and cheeks redden. The man only cared. He was worried Harry would get hurt, and it was clearly the case that he did not want that to happen.

Harry wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders smiling softly. "I'm sorry." He said sheepishly. "If I had been paying attention before I would've known that the antidotes were flammable."

Severus chuckled. "So the golden boy admits he's wrong. That's a first."

Harry glared at the man and spun around throwing the door open wide to the potions room. The fire was burning low now; only a few desks were seriously injured. Thankfully the castle was made of stone so it didn't really hurt anything. Harry heard the click of the door closing and locking behind him.

"It's hot in here." commented Harry.

"Well you did set fire to my classroom." Severus rested his hands on Harry's shoulders and kissed his neck. "Did anyone say anything about this?" he asked as his fingertip danced over a small section on Harry's shoulder.

"About what?"

"This mark here. From when I bit you." Severus leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the almost healed wound.

"Mark? You left a mark?" Harry turned his head and tried to see, but couldn't.

Severus smiled. "I guess that's good. No one noticed then." he planted his lips in a fleeting kiss on Harry's own. "Come along Potter. We cannot simply let the school burn to a crisp." he pulled away and retrieved a large heavy blanket out of a closet in the corner of the room. "Here, help me with this."

Harry walked over to the man and took two corners of the blanket they carefully situated themselves around the fire and dropped the heavy fire-retardant sheet. The professor stomped all around the area and then lifted the blanket.

"Go on ahead." Severus nodded in the direction of his private quarters. "Your detention will be served in there. I'll be there in a minute." he said a smirk on his face.

Harry blushed but did as he was told and walked into the rooms he'd only been in once before. The fire was going in front of the familiar couch and a small table was set up between them. Two chairs were placed opposite each other across from the table. A pot of water was whistling from the fireplace and Harry hurried over to get it. As he was leaning over taking the handle carefully with a mitt he heard his lover enter the room.

"Don't catch anything else on fire now."

Harry laughed and turned around. "Oh shut up." he poured the water into the tea pot and then set the kettle down on the stone in front of the fire.

"Tell you Potions Professor to 'shut up' that," he said taking a seat. "Will earn you ten swats."

Harry blushed slightly embarrassed at how intrigued he was by the idea. "Be gentle."

"Ha!" The man laughed harshly and poured the tea into the separate cups. "You look a bit underfed, would you like a sweet?"

"_I'm_ underfed?" asked Harry sarcastically taking one and setting it on his plate.

Severus smirked and took one as well. They ate in silence for a moment and then Harry stood, not sure why he was doing it. He leaned over, placing both hands on each arm rest of Severus's chair, and ever-so-softly place the lightest of kisses on his abnormally large nose. The man was taken aback. But before he could protest anything the boy spoke.

"Professor, I don't think you're too skinny, or too pale. I think you're just…perfect." Harry smiled brightly at the man his green eyes sparkling.

Severus smiled and nodded. "Thank you." he said then he wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and pulled him down onto his lap. "but what did I tell you before?"

Harry was pleasantly surprised and curled up fitting like a jig-saw puzzle against the man's body. "Not to set fires?"

"Well yes, but I told you to call me Severus not professor." with that he pressed his lips hard against Harry's.

"So I take it dinner's over." Harry said breathlessly but smiling.

"Oh yes."

**A/N: **_That was chapter nana! Please review! I would like to explain my prolonged absence. First thing, my computer exploded, second my grandparents sorta kicked me off theirs, third I moved to a different town, fourth, I moved back, fifth, I moved into my grandparents. ta-da! _


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: _**Hello everyone! Sorry I'm so late. TT3TT I've been really busy. I did, however achieve a laptop for a graduation present. So Woooo to that. I confess I wasn't able to get started on chapter 8 right away. I apologize. But here it is! The elusive chapter hachi.**_

**CH. 8**

**OVER SO SOON**

Severus carried the boy-who-lived through a door across the room. There was dim lighting and large dark wood furniture. But the one thing --that probably didn't stand out at all to any other person, but to Harry it was the only thing that held his attention-- was the bed. In the limited light the covers looked black as you would expect of Severus Snape, but up close Harry could tell it was a very dark shade of blue; and Harry did get up close. Harry was reminded of earlier, when the stoic potions professor had told him his favorite color.

Severus softly placed his young lover on the bed and pulled threw his cloak on the floor. He leaned forward, unable to contain himself any further, and kissed Harry passionately.

The boy returned the kiss feverously his hands came up and made quick work with the man's buttons. Severus's tongue of everywhere in Harry's mouth. The taste was tantalizing and it sent Harry in a euphoric landslide.

Snape had never cursed the school uniforms before that moment. He was having a very difficult time with a particular button and resorted to just tearing the damn thing off.

Harry felt the harsh tug on his clothing and pulled back to examine the damage.

"Hey, these have to last me you know." He said with a satirical expression.

"Are you telling me that the boy wander cannot use a simple charm to mend the garment?" the man said sarcastically, as was his usual.

"Oh well, if you put it that way…" Harry took hold of one of the buttons on Severus's shirt and tugged on it until it too popped off.

"Alright, let's stay civil." Severus said before pressing his lips to Harry's again.

The boy let the button fall to the floor and wrapped his arms around his teacher. He made a sound of protest when the man pulled away, and watched as he hastily removed the student of his pants.

Harry chuckled at the man's impatience "You really need to learn patience. We have all night."

The potions professor only glared down at Harry.

In the most sultry and seducing voice Harry could manage he said, "Severus…"

The man's movement's immediately froze. Slowly he looked up with hungry eyes. "Do that again." he ordered.

"What? It was only your name." Harry teased with a playful smile on his face.

"No…no it wasn't." Severus breathed heavily. He was standing at the side of the bed while Harry laid across the bed with his knees bent and his feet on the edge.

"How about this," Harry wrapped his arms around the man's neck pulling him down as if for a kiss, but was he was close enough the boy pressed his cheek to the man's cheek and whispered in his ear. "[Severus…]"

"What was that?" the man asked thoroughly turned on.

"That was parseltongue." He said with a smirk as Severus pulled back far enough to look the boy in the eyes.

"Talented aren't we?" he kissed him again his hands running up Harry's chest to pinch a perk nipple. He pulled away a fraction of an inch. "Actually I remember a time in your second year I believe, you were dueling with Malfoy."

"Yes I remember that. I spoke to the snake telling it not to attack."

"I recall it had the same effect then as it has tonight." Severuse smirked down at the boy.

"Really? [Kiss me…Severus…]"

The man pressed his lips hard to Harry's once more and his hands found new places to grope and tease.

*******************************************************************

Harry sat with Ron the next day and their class mates try to cross the age line and submit their names into the goblet of fire. Several people had tried in the night and ended up very hexed. They saw the effect of that when Fred and George, Ron's trickster twin brothers, tried to fool the line and submit their own names.

Harry had managed to see Severus two more times before Professor Dumbledore announced the names.

"Harry Potter?" the elderly man stared transfixed at the little scrap of paper that had flown from the cup after the initial three. "HARRY POTTER!!!"

'You've got to be kidding me!' Harry had thought as he walked up to the front. His peers were shouting "Cheater!" and "He's not even 17!" It wasn't as if they hadn't tried to cheat. And Harry wasn't a cheater! He had no idea how his name got there. He looked up at his potions professor for support, only to see the same expression on his face that was on everyone else's.

*******************************************************************

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Severus shouted at his lover one night when the boy had snuck to his chambers in the middle of the night.

"I didn't! I don't know how my name got there!" Harry snapped back but not as loudly.

"THEN WHO?!"

"I don't know! You have to believe me!" Harry begged with pleading green eyes.

Severus stopped for a moment, he almost did, just because of the look alone. But he knew the boy, or at least that's what he thought at the moment.

"No Potter…I don't."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:**_ First of all I would like to apologize for last chapter and all the typos and the jumpy-ness. It was two in the morning when I started it. Gomen. (sorry) I just really wanted to get it out there for you all. Okay! Here is chapter nine or chapter Kyuu. _

**CH. 9**

THE TRIWIZARD TORNAMENT BEGINS!

Well needless to say no one believed that Harry had not put his name into the goblet of fire. A few people asked him how he managed it? He finally just started ignoring everybody. But the one person he wanted to talk to wouldn't even look at him.

Harry felt completely hurt, more so then the betrayal by his best friend Ron. The red head was acting very vicious towards the tall tale cheater. It seemed that the only friend he had anymore was Hermione and Neville. And all Neville ever talked about was herbology.

Harry was sitting by the lake while Neville was inspecting plants one afternoon. He heard voices getting closer and Harry looked up from the book he was reading to see Ron, Hermione and Ginny walking towards them. He stood up but made no move to walk towards them.

They were whispering now very loudly. Hermione heaved a sigh and marched towards her friend.

"Ron would like me to tell you, that Dean was told by Pavarti…that Hagrid's looking for you." she seemed to be thinking very hard; trying to get the message right.

"Yeah well…what?"

"umm…" she turned away and walked back up to Ron they whispered again and she came back. "Dean was told by Pavarti…please don't make me say it again. Hagrid's looking for you." she turned to leave and Harry spoke.

"Well you can tell Ron-"

"I'M NOT AN OWL!" she snapped and stalked off.

That night he had agreed to meet Hagrid near the forbidden forest. He had brought his father's invisibility cloak, just like the giant had told him to.

"'arry? You there?" came the familiar voice through the trees.

"over here Hagrid." Harry waved as the man stepped out of the shadows.

"What'r ya do'n? Put the cloak on." Hagrid was acting like he was a little boy anxious to open his Christmas presents. His gentle eyes were sparkling with mischief.

Harry threw the cloak over his head cleverly camouflaging himself. And followed Hagrid into the woods. He saw another figure a ways away, the half giant seemed to be walking towards this person. On closer inspection Harry saw that it was the head mistress of the Beuxbatons school that were here for the tournament. He was even taller then his good friend.

'What did he bring me here for? I don't want to watch him on his 'date'.' Harry was getting annoyed after several minutes of standing there listening to them flirt with each other.

Finally, after Harry was just about to turn around and leave, Hagrid got to the point.

"You'll be glad ya came." he said with a wink and marched deeper into the trees. Harry followed dejectedly.

Up ahead there was a clearing with light coming from it. When they got closer there were four cages and men running around them like chickens with their heads cut off. But the spectacle wasn't what caught Harry's interest, or the two half giants with him for that matter. In each cage was a terrifying dragon. Spewing fire and trying to get free.

Harry stayed a little while longer, waiting for Hagrid to get a moment alone so he could talk with him. But that moment never came and Harry turned around to leave, thinking his friend would never miss him; not with the current company.

When he was close to the edge he saw a dark shadow creeping through the trees in the direction he had just come from. When the figure came closer he saw that it was Kakaroff, the Durmstrang's head master, the other school that was visiting for the tournament.

That only meant that the other contestants knew of the first task in the tournament. Harry wasn't sure if Cedric knew yet. He liked the guy and didn't want to see him get mauled by ferocious fire-breathing flying reptile. Harry shuddered at the image of himself face to face with the monster.

He'd tell his classmate tomorrow. For now he needed a good sleep.

**A/N: **_Okay I have received a few reviews asking why Snape didn't trust his little lover. Well I'd like to explain this. FIRST: they haven't exactly been together for very long, they haven't even said that they love each other. SECOND: I realize that Legilimency would've been perfect for our sexy seme (- guy "on top") to find out the truth, but it is sort of an unofficially forbidden spell; it isn't exactly polite to look into some one's memories. .O but thank you very much for reminding me of this! It will definitely play out in the future. THIRD: Severus is very protective of our dear Harry. As shown in a previous chapter when Harry accidentally caught the room on fire. Lol. He's clearly over-reacting and taking it out on the boy. FOURTH: Their relationship is both forbidden and illegal. In the way that they're both males and of totally different ages. The strain of the possibility of getting caught could also be putting extra weight on our sour potion's professor. Thank you for all the Reviews!!!! And SnowKissYuki, I really appreciate your review. Thank you very much for inspiring my epiphany. -bowz-_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **_Welcome to chapter Juu (ten). Last chapter Harry found out that the first challenge was dragons. He's almost certain of his failure. Okay…TO THE DRAGONS!_

**DRAGONS!**

**The next day Harry walked up to Cedric and his friends.**

"**Oh Potter, you stink!" some of them said, a few others said things similar.**

"**Can I talk to you?" he asked his upper classman.**

"**Yeah." he said sheepishly and walked to the side with Harry.**

"**Dragons."**

"**What?"**

"**That's the first task, dragons."**

"**You've got to be joking." **

"**They've got one for each of us."**

"**And Fluer and Krum, do they know?" Fluer was the champion from Beauxbatons and Krum was the champion from Durmstrang.**

"**Yeah." Harry nodded. **

"**Oh…okay."**

**Harry started to walk off, "Hey, thanks." he nodded again and hurried away. **

**~later~**

"**DRAGONS?!" Hermione was having a fit. She was obviously scared for her friend. "Okay, you got any ideas?" she asked, her large brown eyes pleading.**

"**Well, Moody pulled me aside and talked to me. He said something about my broom. But I'm not allowed a broom." his voice was strained with frustration. It was clear that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was only trying to help; even though the rules forbid it. All it managed to do was confuse the boy more.**

**Hermione's eyes lit up with excitement. "Remember that charm we were working on? Before the tournament started?"**

**Before the tournament started? That was when he was with the potion's professor. He hadn't been able to keep his mind on anything else other then Snape all year. "No." he said annoyed.**

"**The Accio charm? Well, you weren't exactly 'there' you always seemed off in some other world." Hermione sighed and stopped her pacing to flop down in a chair by the fire. They were in the Gryffindor common room after everyone was in bed. **

"**The summoning charm? I remember it now. I also remember I wasn't very good at it."**

"**But you do remember? That's okay, I'll be happy to tutor you. We'll work on it until the day of the challenge."**

"**Thanks for volunteering." Harry chuckled. He stood up and pulled his wand out. "Okay 'professor' teach me." A bright smile crossed his tired features.**

**They had practiced, every free moment they had. And when the day came for Harry to face his death, he had only managed to summon a text book from across the room. **

**Hermione sighed, "well let's just hope it's good enough." she said before departing.**

**Harry now stood in the tent with the other "champions" listening to Crouch tell them what their objective was. Harry had drawn out the most terrifying of the dragons with a number four around its neck. He waited until every contestant had taken their turn, he was a bundle of nerves. **

**He heard Dumbledore's voice say his name and he made his way into the arena. He saw the bleachers packed with students and teachers; which only added onto his nervousness. It was enough that he was going to be mauled by a dragon, but did he have to have an audience?**

**He looked around and saw only rocks and a large golden egg. He was reminded oddly of a muggle movie called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Where there were geese that laid golden eggs. Harry chuckled sarcastically. Because this was not a cheery kid's movie, this was waiting to be eaten by a protective fire-breathing dragon. **

**Speaking of which, he couldn't find it anywhere. Some beast, this might be easier then he thought. Harry smirked and walked forward towards his prize.**

**Suddenly a large horned tail crashed the boulder he was standing next to. Harry dived in the shadows behind another rock and tried to calm his frantic breathing. He heard the familiar hysterical scream of the bushy haired friend. **

"**YOUR WAND HARRY! USE YOUR WAND!" He looked up and saw her on the front row next to Ron and Ginny. **

**A large figure loomed in his view. The dragon opened its mouth wide. A jet of fire, aimed straight at Harry, shot through the air. He could hear gasps from the audience and he ducked back to safety. **

**He pulled out his wand and concentrated. "ACCIO FIRE-BOLT!!!" he shouted, and stuffed it back in his pocket. All there was now was to wait, and hope he survived. It wasn't a long wait. He looked over the crowd to see a tiny dot in the sky getting steadily larger. He sprinted from his hiding place and ran along the wall, just as the tail crushed the rock he was hiding behind. Fire jetted after him and he jumped off a rock landing safely on his broom. **

**And he was flying. In the air out of range from the monster's fiery breath. He heard the cheering and irruption of applause. His eyes scanned the crowd until he found the teachers. His green eyes locked with obsidian ones, before the potion's professor turned away. Harry redirected his attention to the dragon who was flying right at him. **

**Harry gained even more latitude but when the beast snapped its chain and flew even faster towards the boy; its jaws snapping, Harry turned full round and sped away.**

**At least he didn't have an audience anymore. But now he was completely at the mercy of the dragon. He could only hope he was faster. **

**Harry flew around the astronomy tower and looked behind him. The dragon was gone. Did he really out fly the thing? It seemed too good to be true. **

**All of a sudden he heard a loud roar in front of him and turned just in time to see fire engulf the area in front of him. Harry jumped in surprise and pulled up on his broom too quickly. **

**He went tumbling down the side of the tower and landed on a window. He grabbed the edge just before falling to his death. He tried to gain footing but ended up destroying the timeless window ceil. He looked up and noticed his broom was hooked just above him, he also noticed that the dragon had latched itself to the roof. It was roaring and snapping, its tail flung around cutting the air.**

**Harry sucked in a breath and reached for his fire-bolt. It was then that the dragon had decided to make its move as well. It started to crawl towards the fourth year. **

**After a long moment of struggling Harry finally managed to free his broom. But doing so he lost his grip and fell towards the hard, solid ground, that seemed to welcoming him hungrily. **

**In a flash Harry had his broom under him and he was in flight again. Fire caught the end of his broom turning the tips to ash, while the dragon took off after her prey. Harry had to choice quickly. He flew through the arched bridge with as much speed as he could. The dragon could not fit through the small space and did not have enough time to pull out of the way. The monster crashed into the stones and fell, feeding the ground in Harry's place. **

**A/N: **_That was chapter Juu (ten) please review! Next we'll see the Yule Ball, and how will Severus Snape deal with a new emotion? Could it be…jealousy? _


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:**_ Okay, so I've found some free time and just can't stop writing for some reason. Lol. Well I guess it's not a bad thing, huh? This might be a really good thing, since I'm about to start college soon, and might be too busy for a while. So this is for you snarry-loving-wishing-we-weren't-muggles-totally-in-denial-about-not-receiving-our-letters! HERE'S CHAPTER JUUICHI! (eleven)_

**THE YULE BALL!**

**Harry sat in a chair with his best friend Ron, they had made up shortly after the dragons. Apparently it was Ron who had actually warned him about the first task, and not Hagrid. Though Harry was confused how that worked out, but he didn't mind it either way, as long as he got his friend back.**

**The guys had been told to sit on one side of the room while the girls were on the opposite. Professor McGonagall was standing in the center while Filch was working on an old record player. **

**Based on what McGonagall was saying there was apparently a dance towards Christmas. The girls seemed excited and eager. While the boys looked very put out. **

"**Mr. Weasley?" came the professor's voice. "Will you join me?" **

**Ron stood up sheepishly as the rest of the class tried to hide their chuckles. He stood in front of the teacher looking as if he'd rather crawl into a hole and burry himself.**

"**Now, put your hand on my waist."**

"**Your what?" a look of sheer terror crossed the red head's features.**

"**My waist, Mr. Weasley." she looked over her shoulder at the caretaker. "Mr. Filch if you would please."**

**The man gently placed the needle on the spinning record and a scratchy song filled the room. **

"**Now, one two three, one two three, one two three." the lady chanted as she taught Ron how to dance. "Everyone please pick a partner!" she shouted over the music. **

**The girls stood up immediately while the boys stayed glued to their seats. But it was Neville who got up first and crossed the short distance to take Ginny's hand. Once they started dancing the others soon fell in as well. **

**~later~**

**It was Severus's turn to monitor the study-hall period today. He wasn't looking forward to it. He hated anything that forced him to spend extra time with the students. **

**Life had returned to normal between Harry and him. Which was a good thing, he swore. He ignored him as usual, and the boy failed his class, as usual. **

**Today however the first thing he noticed when he entered the room was the terrible trio sitting together at a table. Across from them were the Weasley twins. **

**Severus usually had trouble with the group talking, so he decided to patrol the isles. As he approached his ex-lover he heard Ron Weasley speaking.**

"**This is mad, at this rate we'll be the only ones without dates." The potion's professor grabbed the back of the red head and forced him to face his work. **

**Severus was in no mood today. He slinked past them to a student with her hand raised just a little bit away from the group. The girl only needed to turn in her notebook and leave. Severus took it and looked it over as he continued his patrolling. **

"**Well," he heard. "Us and Neville." The red head had chose not to heed his warning. He heard both him and Harry snickering quietly. **

"**Yeah, but then again he can take himself." Harry spoke that time taking part in the conversation. **

"**It might interest you to know that Neville's already got someone." the bushy haired girl whispered keeping her eyes on her work. **

"**Awe, great." Ron said defeated. "Now I'm really depressed." **

**Severus looked over the top of the book to glare at the group and saw one of the twins pass a note to his little brother. Shortly after reading it Ron spoke again. **

"**Who you going with, then?"**

**The same twin pointed down the table to a girl named Angelina. He saw Ron slouch in his seat and then turn to the Know-It-All.**

"**Oi, Hermione. You're a girl." Severus decided to put an end to this and started walking towards them again. **

"**Very well spotted." she said annoyed.**

**As Severus walked he saw Harry look up at him and then try to get the attention of his friend by pulling his sleeve. But Ronald Weasley was a dunce and didn't notice. **

"**Come with one of us?" he asked just before the professor reached him and swatted the back on his head with the student's notebook he was holding. He heard Harry try to stifle a laugh and swat him as well. After all, he was no different anymore. **

**After Severus was a few feet away, to his annoyance, he heard Ron continue.**

"**Come on. It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone. For a girl it's just sad."**

**Severus stood at the end of the isle and continued looking over the student's work.**

"**I won't be going alone, because believe it or not, someone's asked me!" she snapped and stood up. She stormed toward the professor. He lowered the book and took the notebook Ms. Granger offered him. **

**Severus watched her as she stomped her way back to the two. **

"**And I said yes!" she grabbed her bag and quickly left the room.**

"**Bloody hell." said Ron turning to Harry. "She's lying, right?"**

"**If you say so." Severus, annoyed, put the two books in an inside pocket of his robes and walked over to the two he stood behind them, glaring at their skulls.**

"**Look," said the Weasley boy. "We've just gotta grit our teeth and do it." **

**Severus rolled his eyes and tugged his sleeves back.**

"**Tonight," Ron continued. "When we get back to the common room, we'll both have partners. Agreed?"**

**Ron and Harry nodded their heads. "Agree-" Severus roughly shoved their head down to face their work, and walked back up the isle. As he walked he heard several of the students snickering. **

**~later~**

**Severus hadn't seen anymore of Harry since that day, and now he was waiting in an overly decorated room on the Durmstrang's ship. Every person in the room was standing at the sides waiting to see the champions enter the room. **

**The doors opened and first to pass through them was Fleur Delacour and her date. Then Viktor Krum with, surprisingly, Hermione Granger. Following them Was Cedric Diggory with Cho Chang and after them, looking as awkward as Severus felt forced to attend this horrid display, was Harry Potter and Parvati Patil. **

**The boy looked very uncomfortable and that thought made Severus smug. A sudden stab of pain pierced through his chest. It wasn't physical but more emotional. He couldn't understand it, but he didn't want anybody else looking at Harry. **

**It was true he still felt a bit possessive; and angry. He was still mad at Harry for lying to him, and risking himself for fame and attention. The boy really was as shallow as he had first thought. **

**Severus was fuming now and if he didn't leave soon he was liable to melt the ice sculpture he was standing next to. It didn't take him long to reach the door and make his escape. **

**Later that night the potion's professor was taking inventory in his store room and noticed a few ingredients missing from his shelves. The components were factors for polyjuice potion. He seemed to recall and incident two years ago when Harry, Ron and Hermione had successfully brewed the potion and tested it out. Hermione had made a mistake in the hair she had chosen and had to go to the infirmary to get it fixed, that was how he knew. **

**His eyes narrowed as he recounted for the fifth time. It had to be Harry and his crew. Now he was furious, the very next time he saw the boy he'd have a little talk with him.**

**A/N: **_Ta-da! That was chapter Juuichi! (eleven) I feel I must warn everyone. In the next chapter, juuni (twelve), there will be a hardcore rape scene. Since I failed in the earlier chapter. Lol. Please bare with me and this story, as I assure you everything will eventually work out between the two._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **_Welcome to Juuni! (twelve) In this chapter there will be a hardcore rape scene. I promise. Although I am a little scared about writing what's hiding in the dark recesses of my mind…oh well! Here we go!_

**JEASLOUSY!**

**Severus thought for a moment, the Yule Ball should still be going on, if he left right now he'd be able to ruin Harry's perfect evening. He smirked at that thought and set his list down before leaving the dungeons to head back to the Black Lake. **

*******

**Harry wasn't dancing, he hadn't at all, unless you counted the opening dance. He sat with Ron by themselves, as their dates had found better company. **

**Harry was entertaining himself watching Ron glare at Hermione and Viktor Krum as they danced, when Cedric Diggory sat down next to him. **

"**Hey Ced." Harry said happily turning to his fellow classmate. **

"**Hi Harry, Ron." Cedric turned to smile at Ron but noticed his sour disposition. The handsome features contorted into confusion. "What's wrong with him?"**

"**He's jealous." said Harry matter-of-factly.**

"**Am not!" snapped Ron defensively. "It's just…" he waving his arms out towards the couple. "You know." he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest returning to his glaring.**

"**Is he jealous of Krum? Or Hermione, do you think?" Cedric joked and both he and Harry laughed. **

"**Oh shut it!" said the red head without turning away from the scene before him. **

"**Where's Cho?" Harry asked.**

"**Oh she's over there dancing with some friends. I told her I wanted to talk to you."**

"**Really? 'Bout what?"**

"**Um…" he seemed hesitant to speak and looked over at Ron again.**

"**We go over there if you want." Harry said pointing to a disserted corner of the room.**

"**Fantastic." The older boy stood up and lead the way.**

"**I'll be back in a moment." Harry told his friend and Followed Cedric. **

"**Listen," the Hufflepuff started. "I wanted to thank you for tipping me off about the dragons."**

"**Oh, well it was no problem. I'm sure you would've done the same for me." Harry smiled.**

"**Yeah, exactly. Umm…" he looked around, even though it was the most deserted corner they were not entirely alone. There were still people standing close enough to hear them. Cedric leaned in close and whispered, "Take your egg to the Prefect's bathroom on the second floor. Take a bath." **

*******

**Severus entered the room and saw Harry follow Cedric Diggory to a corner of the room. He watched curiously. But when the other boy leaned closer to Harry a spark of rage was ignited somewhere in him. He couldn't see what exactly was done, because the taller boy's frame blocked most of Severus's view; But he had a pretty good idea. **

**Students were starting to leave in droves. The man watched as Harry left Cedric standing there and went back to his friend Ronald Weasley. **

**Harry whispered something in his ear and made his way to the exit. **

**Severus followed.**

**He watched as Harry ran through the halls, and up the staircases. He saw Harry speak to the Fat Lady and dart into the portrait hole. Severus glared after him before deciding he'd just have to wait until tomorrow.**

**The potions professor managed to climb all the way down the stairs before he heard footsteps above him. A quick glance over his shoulder showed him that Harry was heading back down the stairs. **

**Severus quickly ducked in the shadows and watched as Harry turned off onto the second floor. The man smirked and climbed the flight of stairs that would take him to the boy. **

**When he reached the landing he saw Harry push open the door to the Prefect bathroom. **

"**Perfect Potter." he stood outside the door and concentrated on rearranging his features to its familiar scowl. He reached up and tried the door knob but it wouldn't budge. Harry had locked the door. "How very 'First Year'." He reached into his robes and pulled out his wand. "Alohomora!" **

**The lock clicked opened and Severus opened the door. **

"**Hey! I locked that for a reason you know!" Harry shouted while trying to remove his shirt. He hadn't seen who was the intruder, only heard the door open. **

"**Oh, I beg your pardon. Let me put it right." Snape's voices floated across the room, and Harry froze. **

**Severus turned around and closed the door slowly. He raised his wand and placed a ward over the room so no one could enter. He turned back around to see the boy had successfully removed his shirt. **

**Harry stood staring at the man with a confused look on his face. "What do you want?" he asked in a rather rude tone. **

**Severus just glared at the boy. What _did_ he want? Seeing Harry like this he had forgotten. But he remembered how mad his was and he remembered Cedric kissing him, and Pavarti dancing with him. It was enough to make him growl and close the distance between the two very quickly. **

**Harry stepped back reflexively, and Severus grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him, hard, against the wall. Harry made a noise of protest, but that only fueled his fire. **

"**Accio!" he shouted and a role of toilet paper floated towards them. He quickly transfigured it into a rope and using magic the roped wrapped itself around Harry's wrists. **

"**HEY!" The boy struggled to get himself free. It was clear he was frightened, but mostly confused. He had no clue what to do and that scared him more then what the professor was doing to him. **

"**Wingardim Leviosa!" **

**The rope that bound Harry's wrists lifted in the air, taking Harry with it and fixed itself to a hook above the boy's head. It had rotated so now Harry was facing the wall. **

"**PROFESSOR! No, please stop!" Harry was kicking, his feet a few inches off the floor. **

**Severus ignored his protest and grabbed his legs tugging roughly at his pants. **

**With gravity pulling down on his body and the potions professor quick inconsiderate movements the rope tightened around his wrists and rubbed the skin away. He was in so much pain from the rope that he hadn't noticed the man had succeeded in removing his lower layer, that is until a cold digit was forced into his entrance. **

**Harry gasped loudly and tried to at the man behind him. "NO! STOP IT!!!" **

"**Alright, then something else perhaps." the man growled and took hold of Harry's flailing legs behind each knee. He lifted them into the air between Harry and the wall, causing his cheeks to spread open more. **

"**NO!" Harry thrashed around sending stabbing pain through his wrists and hands; which were sorely missing blood circulation. **

"**Shut up Potter!" Snape shouted in his ear and used one hand to grab his hair and yank his head back. "You're going to 'take it' and you're going to like it." with that he released Harry's untamable hair and grabbed his leg again. Then with a mighty thrust Severus impaled the boy to the hilt, without hardly any preparation. **

"**AAAHHH!!!" Harry cried out in pain and tossed his head back, squeezing his eyes shut against the spots he was now seeing. **

**Severus didn't allow any time to adjust, he quickly pulled back to the head, and then thrust in him again. **

"**AH!" Harry's screams turned into haggard sobs. Tears started to bead in the corners of his closed eyes.**

**Severus continued the motion going as fast as he could feeling the muscles clench around him and he couldn't hold back his moan. "Do you like that, Potter?"**

**Harry shook his head violently the tears streaming down his face now. He bit his lip to keep from screaming or crying, he wasn't sure what he would do if he allowed sound out. **

"**You slut! You fucking whore!" Severus slammed into the boy over and over again. "You think you can just flirt with everyone don't you!" He felt the boy's body shaking, even though Harry had long given in. "Just because you're the… Bloody… Boy… Who… LIVED!" with each word he had shoved in extra hard and with the last he came deep inside the boy, spilling his seed to the point it leaked out and down Harry's legs. **

**The man stepped back and surveyed his work. He had done nicely. Harry's face was hidden in between his arms which were stretched above his head. The rope was tight around his wrists and his hands were swollen with lack of proper circulation. **

**Severus did a quick cleaning charm and clothed himself, taking his time. He finally walked over to the boy and noticed he was unconscious. He had planned on saying something sarcastic, but where was the fun in that if nobody heard him. Instead he stepped back and transfigured the rope back into toilet paper; which, under the weight of Harry's body, quickly tore and the boy fell to a heap on the floor. **

**That done and lesson learned Severus made his exit.**

**A/N: **_Okay, so who else is completely freaked out with what's inside my head? Show of hands please._


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **_Welcome to chapter Juusan! (thirteen) in the last chapter we saw a little bit of jealousy, and by little bit I mean a whole lot. Now we're going to see how the after effects of last chapter. _

**PAIN…**

Cedric walked Cho to the Ravenclaw portrait hole after the dance was over.

"I had a great time Cedric." she said and leaned up kissing him softly on the cheek.

Cedric smiled sheepishly, "Heh, yeah, me too. I'll see you around." he said and walked down the hall. All in all it had been a good evening.

He aimlessly thought about how Harry was holding up. He should still be in the bath, there's no way he could've figured it out that fast. Cedric didn't feel like going back to the Hufflepuff tower yet, so he wandered to the second floor. He found himself standing in front of the prefect bathroom. Cedric raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Harry? You in there mate?" he asked and pushed open the door.

At first he didn't see anyone in the room, just the tub on the verge of overflowing. He quickly ran to turn off the taps and when he turned around he saw his younger classmate.

Harry was curled in a huddled heap on the stone floor stark naked. "HARRY!!!" Cedric ran over to his friend and rolled him onto his back. Upon inspection he noticed the boy's wrists were very bruised and rubbed raw, his hands were purple but they appeared to be healing quickly. And, Harry was unconscious.

Cedric took off his cloak and covered the boy's body with it then ran out the bathroom to get some help.

~Later~

Harry woke up in the infirmary, something he grew used to over the years. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, trying to remember the reason he was there.

"Harry!" he heard Cedric Diggory's voice close beside him. "Here mate, here's your glasses." he reached out and handed him the specks.

When Harry took them he noticed medical tape all the way around his wrists and suddenly remembered everything. He froze for all of a second before carefully placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He held his hands out in front of him and stared at his wrapped wrists. Cedric helped him sit up in the bed by propping some pillows behind his back.

"Wait here, I'll get Poppy." said the handsome boy and left the one room. Harry allowed himself to look around. He was in a separate room with only one bed in it. And a solid wall and door separating him from the other guests. He realized he was hurt but he had been worse before. Take last year for example with getting attacked by the dementors with Sirius, he had almost died that night. He couldn't understand why now was so special. And where were all his friends? Hermione and Ron? They were always there when he woke up, every time. Even Neville and the twins. Now he was alone in a room by himself. Nothing was broken and he wasn't bleeding or needed any medicine, just a little beat up. He could leave right now if he wanted to. He felt that fine.

The door creaked open slightly and Poppy squeezed into the room followed by McGonagall and Dumbledor. Cedric didn't come back in, a point a Harry noticed.

"Mr. Potter," Poppy started. "Do you know what happened to you?" she asked filling up an empty pitcher on the table beside the bed with water and pouring everyone a glass.

Harry took the glass and greedily gulped it down. He didn't answer; he knew from the company, and the way they were staring at him, that she knew already.

"Harry, you're fine physically but we're worried how you're holding up emotionally."

Harry thought that was a great choice of words, using emotionally instead of mentally. Being extra careful not to upset him.

"We need you tell us who did this to you."

Harry flinched as he saw Severus's angry face flash in his memory. "I don't know." he said. It was all air, hardly any sound to it at all.

"You don't remember?"

"I never saw his face." Harry stared down into his glass and ground his teeth together.

"Alright, Poppy." said Dumbledor rising from his seat. McGonagall followed suit.

"Yes," she said. "Let's not bother him anymore."

Harry picked up on the true meaning, "Let's not upset him."

"But Minerva," protested the kindly nurse. "We have a rapist loose in our halls."

"I hardly think it's a serial case." said Dumbledor. "We'll keep and extra eye on you Harry. Don't be afraid to talk. Especially to your friends. They're very worried about you."

"Then why was only Cedric here when I woke up?"

"That boy was the one who found you. He remained for questioning." said McGonagall. "We haven't allowed anyone in here."

The nurse and Dumbledor squeezed through the door again and closed it quickly behind them.

McGonagall stepped closer to Harry. "I feel the need to warn you Potter. There's a swarm of people just behind that door. Both worried friends and gawking enemies. Do not talk to that Skeeter woman from the Prophet. She'll be buzzing around you like a fly you can't swat." She sat her glass down on the table and slowly walked to the door. "Your clothes are in the drawer there, when you're ready breakfast is waiting." with that she left, squeezing out the door as the others had done and closing it just asquickly.

After a moment of letting it all sink in Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He felt the stiffness in his muscles and in ache in his rump region. Another flash of memory sent a shiver down his spine. He remembered Snape pounding into him and malice in his voice as he called him names. Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts and opened the drawer. A fresh outfit was folded neatly and waiting for him. He guessed somebody had retrieved it for him sometime last night.

He slowly got dressed in pair of loose blue jeans and a navy blue pull over shirt. He combed his hair with his fingers and swallowed the remainder of his water before approaching the door.

Hermione and Ron stood just outside the door and every time somebody would come out they'd ask if their friend was doing all right. A large group of people were sitting on the beds and waiting for Harry to make his appearance. Rita Skeeter had muscled her way to the front of the line and was also waiting anxiously, but in the company of her quick-quotes-quill and her photographer.

When McGonagall came out everyone knew the only one left in there was Harry, the star of the show. Ron and Hermione begged the woman to let them see him. It was clear to the witch that they weren't going to let her go until she conceded.

She finally sighed deeply and said, "Give him a few minutes he's getting dressed." with that she stood guard while the two pushed open the door and squeezed in through the tiniest of space.

Harry jumped when the door in front of him opened. He stepped back and watched as his two best friends entered the room.

"Harry!" Hermione screeched and gently hugged him.

"Careful 'Mione." said Ron pulling out a small piece of fabric from his pocket. "He could be hurting."

"I'm alright Ron, thanks." said Harry softly returning the hug.

"Harry, you look as pale as Nearly Headless Nick."

"What's that you got there mate?" Harry asked sidestepping the comment.

"Oh, this is your good old friend. You remember, you got it for Christmas on your first year." Ron tapped the material and it grew considerably larger, until the red head was holding Harry's invisibility cloak. "Here," he said handing it to Harry. "You don't have to face everyone right away."

"Thanks mate." Harry said feeling the softness between his fingers.

"Harry, we'll go out together just as if we were leaving you here, by not opening the door all the way. And everyone will think you're still in here while we leave." Hermione said smiling up at her friend.

"Thank you, but…if I don't go out there and face them, then I'll just be running away. I appreciate it guys. I really do. But I have to do this."

"It's a matter of pride." Ron said nodding his head, fully understanding.

"Are you mad? Rita Skeeter's out there and Draco and his goons they'll slaughter you." Hermione's smile disappeared and was replaced with a look of terror.

"We'll walk fast." said Ron already at the door. "Shall we?"

Harry nodded and let Hermione wrap her arms around him once more. Ron went first, he opened the door wide and stepped out into a bright flash and staring faces. Harry with Hermione walked right behind him, keeping his quick pace. A second light flashed in his face as he walked. He could hear their voices, but didn't make out what they were saying. It was as if he was in a dark hole somewhere and was being buried slowly.

A/N: _okay, not much has happened, but you can sort of picture the scene here right? It's like in all the movies slow motion deep echo-y voices that you can't understand. The paparazzi all asking questions or trying to talk all at the same time. It's insane and crowded and yet all in the slow motion "I'm in a totally different world right now" kind of feeling. Okay so please review as the more reviews I get the faster I post!_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **_welcome to chapter Juuyon! (fourteen) Last chapter not much happened. And I sort of thought it was lame. So here we go! We're going to make this one better. _

**SURVIVING**

It was seven in the morning and the Great Hall was full of students and teachers eating breakfast just before classes started for the day. Harry Potter was not among them.

He was outside in the morning fog sitting on a rock just beside the Black Lake. He stared across the water and thought carefully about the next challenge. Anything to keep his mind off what happened to him.

Over the weekend he had found time to decipher the egg. Cedric had told him to hold it under the water and listen. Apparently there were mermaids in the Lake, but he was unsure what the rest of the riddle meant.

"_Come seek us where are voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took."_

It was pretty clear up until the last little bit. What did they take? He wasn't sure and he didn't want to think about anything that might lead to remembering what his ex-lover did to him.

So when he heard the bell resound over the school property, signaling classes were starting; meaning it was time for potions class for the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses, he made no move to get up and go. He stayed put on his rock and just stared at the murky water.

The next day Harry spent most of his time by the lake again. He didn't see any reason to go to classes when he had a riddle too solve, not to mention he didn't want to run into the potion's professor again.

After all the last time he saw him the man was raping him. A shiver ran down Harry's spine as the image flashed before him. So much for keeping his mind on other things.

Harry stood and started walking around the lake. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked the ground as he walked. He had managed not to see the daily prophet as he was sure his friends were throwing them away before he could accidentally get a hold of one. And they never asked him where he was during the day. They didn't question why he never showed up to class or any of the meals.

Harry sat down on the bank and the concentrated on the possibilities of what exactly the mermaids might have taken from him. He took his shoes of and let his feet dangle in the water.

"Here you are mate!" Harry heard Cedric's voice and turned to see him walking his way.

"Hey Ced." he said standing up to welcome him.

"So this is where you hang out all day." Cedric chuckled and shook his friend's hand and then followed his example and sat on the ground pulling his shoes off. Harry sat back down replaced his feet in the cool water.

"So…it's mermaids." he said kicking his feet.

"Yup." said the older boy dipping his feet into the water as well.

"What do you suppose they 'took'?"

"No idea." Cedric shrugged and leaned back in a relaxing position.

"Do you think it's important that we find out?"

"Not sure. All I know is that we have to breath under water for an hour. If you can figure that out. It should be fine."

"Yeah…" Harry really needed help on this, but he didn't want to ask Cedric how he was managing it. So he just played along and nodded his head.

Severus noticed Harry's disappearance from his class, and asked the other teachers if he had been absent from their classes as well. He had and he felt a little more comfortable. He was sure if it had only been his class that he was skipping then at least Ms. Granger would've figured it out. That girl was too smart for her own good.

The man was walking down the hall one morning happened to look out a window at the Black Lake. He noticed two students sitting on the opposite bank clearly skipping classes.

Just as he was about to rush out there and give them both detentions and point deductions he noticed glasses on one of the boys. He did a double take, just in case, and it was who he had thought. Harry Potter, the boy who he had raped only days ago, was sitting next to Cedric Diggory, another contestant in the Tri Wizard Tournament. It was likely Cedric had an off period, but Harry had no excuse for ditching his classes. Well, unless you counted emotional trauma.

Severus suddenly felt sick. It was obvious there was no way he was going to go out there. He couldn't face the boy. Not after what he'd done to him.

The man blamed that logic on the count that it would be apparent to everyone that he was the one that raped him. And he was "running away" to protect himself. Not out of fear that the boy would hate him. Certainly not that.

There was a horrible searing pain deep in the professor's chest. It was strong enough to knock him off balance. He held onto the window ceil to help him stay upright. With his other hand, he grasped at his chest. It was as if a throbbing hole had just ripped open in a bleeding festering cavity, void of anything. But when he touched the area he felt the solid flesh that was actually there.

But what was this feeling? It was excruciating! He looked up and saw Harry half way smile while Cedric laughed.

One thing he didn't understand about this whole ordeal, was why didn't the boy tell anybody who raped him? He could've easily have gotten back at the man and had him fired, and disgraced. Maybe, Severus thought, he was too ashamed to admit he had been touched by him at all; even to get revenge.

Severus felt no jealousy as he watched his ex-lover enjoy his time with the Diggory boy. Instead he only felt pain that he didn't understand. He pushed off the window and staggered down the hall. It was almost time for the next class to start and he needed to make his way back to the dungeons.

**A/N: **_Okay, that one kind of sucked too. TT3TT oh well. The next chapter we'll see Harry in the next Tri Wizard challenge! Who will win? And what will happen when Harry takes a stroll down the hallway and a mysterious door opens to reveal the potion's master talking to an "ex" death eater? Stay tuned for the next episode of…BITTER LIES!!! lol_


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **_Alright, sorry for the late update, things have been a tad bit busy lately. And by that I mean it's been hell. Okay enough of that here is chapter Juugo! (15)_

_**MERMAIDS!**_

Harry found himself walking down to the docks, accompanied by the entire student body. Every once in a while someone would come up behind him and pat him on the back, wishing him good luck. He would smile at them and pretend he hadn't flinched when they touched him.

Neville was walking close beside him and carefully -as sneaky as he could- handed Harry a wadded up plant. Looked nervously from side to side.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked hoarsely. "For an hour?"

"Yeah," Neville's voice broke around the word. "Well…"

"Well what?"

"There's some debates among herbologists as to the effect in salt water versus fresh water."

"You're telling me this now?" Harry's eyes were wide with shock. What if this didn't work? What if he drowned? What a fitting end. The boy who lived, faced down the killing curse survived his abusive family, lived through a demonic chess game from hell, recovered the sorcerer stone, killed a basilisk, and fought dementors and dragons; now he was going die in a wild goose chase against time to find what he didn't even know the mermaids had stolen from him. Great.

"Sorry," Neville's whimper cut through his erratic thoughts. "I was just trying to help."

"Well that's a right lot better then Ron and Hermione. Where are they?" he looked around for his friends who he hadn't seen all morning. They were just gone. Disappeared. He had been up late last night in the library with them when Moody came in and said that Professor McGonagall and Dumbledor had wanted to see them. That was the last time he had heard from them.

Harry sighed and climbed into one of the boats, eyes never ceasing their search for his friends.

Severus stood by his Slytherins and looked out across the murky water.

The contestants had just arrived at the platforms and were standing at the edge, not an inch away from the surface of the lake.

The potions master scanned the faces until his eyes rested on Harry Potter. He was standing at the end of the line looked almost as nervous as the Longbottom boy on his best day. The new DADA professor was standing close behind him.

Suddenly Dumbledor's voice broke out across the lake. Severus saw Moody say something to the boy and Harry stuffed something strange into his mouth. He immediately began to heave and retch.

"Something precious was taken from each of our contests. They will have one hour to retrieve it. Contestants, at the sound of the canon-" a loud bang that caused one of towers to shake on its supports cut him off, and three of the contestants dived gracefully into the water. Harry was clutching his stomach and Snape saw Neville start to step forward, a look of sheer terror on his face. But before he could reach his friend Moody shoved Harry off the dock. He hit the water with a large splash. Severus watched with a sickening feeling as the boy's body drifted further down into the dark depths of the lake. Finnegan and Thomas were crouch on the edge watching in perverse curiosity speaking quietly to themselves. He clearly heard Neville's proclamation of horror, however.

"Oh my god! I've killed Harry Potter!" Severus could feel the uncertain worry eat away at the raw hole in his chest, which had not gone away during the time spent away from the boy.

All of a sudden a figure which was unmistakably Harry jumped out of the water, his body lithe and beautiful. He did a flip before diving back into the inky water.

A sense of relief washed over the potions professor and he relaxed, waiting for the contestants to finish the trial.

When Harry had swallowed the plant almost instantly his stomach lurched. He could feel his body try to reject the foreign, unwelcome fodder. He was too busy coughing and heaving to notice what Dumbledore was saying or when the canon announced the start of the race.

He barely even noticed when he was pushed into the water, the only clue was the sensation of floating and his supply to oxygen had been stolen away from him. But none of that mattered, because as soon as he came into contact with the water, his body reacted.

He felt his bones shifting and a sticky sensation between his fingers. He thrashed around as his throat tightened; closing off his airway. He reached up and felt slits beginning to form on each side of his neck and he realized he could breath. He held out his hands and saw a thin layer of skin connecting each finger to each other. His feet had also changed dramatically. They were longer and more fin-like now. The plant had done its job, Neville really wasn't as stupid as he looked.

Harry moved his body and kicked towards the surface. He couldn't believe how nimbly he could turn and navigate through the dark water.

He broke the surface and flew several feet into the air. With a loud sound of enjoyment he tossed his body into a flip and then submerged gracefully into the black.

All thoughts of his two missing friends were shoved aside as he had to concentrate on the task at hand. That is until, almost an hour later, he saw Hermione, Cho, Ron and a young blond girl tied by their ankles to the rocks below. They were guarded by a dozen or so mermaids with tridents. Harry made his way cautiously to Ron and touched his hard and cold face. He looked dead, they all did; as if they had drowned. But he knew that wasn't true. There were many spells that could've been used to subdue them, so Harry didn't worry too much about it.

He worked as fast as he could on the knot by Ron's foot trying to untie him. Just as he succeeded He saw Cedric find his way to Cho.

With a flick of his wand he had cut through binding and his girlfriend was set free. He grab a hold of her arm and looked at Harry. He tapped his watch with his wand to show his friend there was little to no time left. Harry nodded his head in understanding and Cedric kicked his way to the top.

Harry looked around and saw the other two still tied. He withdrew his wand and took aim at the material holding Hermione. All of a sudden the mermaids were on him. They pressed their weapons to his throat and he protested.

"But she's my friend too!" it came out in a low echo rough and strange to his ears.

"Just one." they ordered. All of a sudden they drew back with a loud shrieking noise. It wasn't hard for Harry to see why they had scattered. A half man, half shark creature which was wearing the swimming uniform he had seen Krum wearing not too long ago.

He barreled his way through and snapped the binding holding Hermione with his sharp teeth. He wasted no time grabbing her and carrying her to the surface, leaving Harry with Ron and the little blond girl.

Harry swam over to his friend and grabbed him by the arm. He looked around nervously waited for Fluer to show up and claim the girl. When he didn't see her he raised his wand making sure the mermaids were still far away, and shot a spell at the binding that was holding the girl in the cold clutches of the black lake. It broke and she was free.

Harry took both Ron and the girl by the arm and started to kick his way to the surface. It was then that his body started to change back. The webbing between his fingers were starting to dissipate and he was having trouble breathing. His feet were beginning to return to normal as well.

Harry struggled to reach the surface, trying to hold his breath, when he felt several small hands clutch at his legs trying to pull him back to bottom. It was a split decision to push the two with a mighty shove trying to get them to the air. He was tugged back into the forest of seaweed by the tiny water creatures.

They pulled at his hair and scratched at his skin. By this time he was almost completely changed back to normal and was running out of oxygen quickly.

He flicked his wand and the creatures were temporarily shocked and paralyzed. It was only a few seconds before they came to and they shook their heads and quickly swam away.

Harry was still for a long moment, feeling the burn in his lungs as they screamed at him for air. He raised his wand above his head, forcing his sore muscles into movement. He used the last remnants of his air supply to articulate the charm, "Asendio."

He was pushed by the force of magic through the water to the surface and beyond that. He landed with a thud on the platform he had started from.

He coughed and sucked in the air greedily. All of a sudden Hermione was at his side throwing a towel over his shoulders.

**A/N:**_ That was chapter Juugo! Hope you liked it, sorry for the late update. TT3TT I've been a little busy with college lately. But I promise to never completely stop! I will continue until the finish. And believe me, there is a long way to go. -sigh- will I ever get there? Who know. _

_Okay, so in the next chapter we'll have a sort of time jump, please don't be confused. I want to get through this year and back to some good old snarry. Yum yum. _

_Stay tuned for the next installment of Bitter Lies!!!!_


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:_ Welcome my fellow Snarry lovers!!! To…chapter Juuroku! (16) First of all I would like to dedicate this chapter to user SSOTVDG for posting the 100__th__ review! In the last chapter we were shone a little bit more of Severus' pain, and Harry survived the mermaids. In this chapter we're going to skip quite a-ways ahead. I know you want to get through this as much as I do. Lol so here we go._**

_**VOLDEMORT RETURNS!**_

"He's back!" Harry sobbed over Cedric's dead body. "He's back, Voldemort's back. Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back. I couldn't just leave him. Not there."

"Shh, It's alright Harry. You're safe, you both are." Dumbledore's voice was a far off echo trying to cut through his pain as a spoon would a steak.

There were several people around them now. And he could feel hands on him, pulling him away from Cedric's body. He heard Moody's rough voice next to his ear as he dragged him towards to the castle.

When Harry could think clearly he found himself in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. He was sitting in a little wicker chair in front of the unlit fireplace.

"What was it like?" the sound shattered through his weak defenses.

"W-what?" he looked up confused at the professor who was leaning close to him.

"What was it like to stand in the dark lord's presence?" the expression was strange to see on the man's face. It was something like anger and awe.

"Um…it was like stepping into a dream…like one of my nightmares." Harry's gaze drifted far off, back to the cemetery. Voldemort had his wand raised and the cruciatus curse lay heavy on the boy's body.

There was the clank of glass on glass and Harry looked up to see Moody rummaging through a case with empty bottles. "Were there others? In the cemetery, were there others?" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Oh, um…" realization washed through Harry's thoughts like a summer rain. "I don't think I told you about the cemetery professor."

There was a moment of silence as the boy stared at Moody's hunched back. "Marvelous creatures, dragons are, aren't they?" fear settled in Harry's stomach as he saw the man halfway turn to face him. "Do you honestly think that oaf would've led you to them if I hadn't suggested it?" The man flew across the room and grabbed Harry's arm, digging his thumb into the wound Wormtail had made. "Do you think, Neville, the witless wonder, would've told you about the Gillyweed if I hadn't given him the book that led right to it?"

"You…it was you, you're the one who put my name in the goblet. And bewitched Krum in the maze. But…"

"You won because I made it so, Potter. And now your blood runs through the veins of the dark lord himself." He squeezed Harry's arm causing the boy to flinch and then held the blood covered thumb to his nose. Harry watched disgusted as he inhaled deeply.

"Imagine, how he'll repay me when he learns that I killed the great Harry Potter." He lifted his wand in the air and aimed between Harry's eyes.

Before Harry could react, or Moody could speak the curse, a loud booming voice yelled from behind the door. "EXPELLIARMUS!" the door flew open knocking Moody off his feet.

Harry heaved a relieved sigh as Severus Snape pushed his way into the room. The boy didn't even notice the others until he heard Dumbledore's voice.

"Very good Severus." he stepped beside the potion's master and together they lifted Harry's attacker. "Out of the chair Harry!" the headmaster shouted. Harry flinched and quickly got out of the way. The two men set Moody in the chair and Dumbledore pulled a flask out of the man's jacket. He handed it to Severus. The black haired man opened the lid and took a cautious sniff.

"Pollyjuice potion." he said matter-of-factly.

"At least now we know who's been stealing from your stores."

Severus threw a look at Harry before he reached into his pocket pulling out a small vile of clear liquid. He quickly poured it into the man's mouth.

"Do you know who I am?" Dumbledore said.

"Albus Dumbledore." the man croaked.

"Are you Alastor Moody? Are you?"

"No."

"Is he hear? Is he in this room?!"

Harry didn't hear an audible reply, but saw the man's eyes float to the trunk that he was standing behind.

"Harry, out of the way!" Dumbledore shouted moving around Snape to stand in front of the trunk.

Harry stumbled towards the door where McGonagall wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Severus and the head master stood back and Snape threw his magic at the lock. The lid flew open to reveal a smaller trunk, who's lid flew open as well. There was another trunk and then another, and another. Until it created a long narrow shaft.

Dumbledore leaned over the edge and called out, "Are you alright Alastor?"

"Fine Albus." was the response.

"We'll have you out of there in a moment." when he stepped back everyone noticed the man pretending to be Moody was thrashing around in the chair. His face appeared to be melting as his body changed shape. Everyone watched waiting for his true identity to shown. The eye he was wearing that must of belonged to the real Moody, fell off and zipped around on the floor. When he stilled his hair was shorter and more full, a darker shade of brown. His nose was more angular and his tongue darted out of his mouth. He had a smaller build then the man he had impersonated.

Harry moved to get a better look. This guy looked strangely familiar. Like someone in his nightmare. Harry jumped when the man lunged at him snarling and reaching for his throat.

A strong hand swung out and punched the attacker forcing him back in his seat. Harry looked up to see Severus glaring darkly at the man. Tears beaded in his eyes as he remembered that was the same look he had given Harry the night he had raped him.

The boy stood up and hurried back to the elderly woman at the door.

"Barty Crouch Jr." He heard Dumbledore chide. "Call the dementors. I think they'll find they're missing a prisoner." He kept his wand pointed at the man, as Severus moved towards Harry.

"I'll be welcomed back like a hero!" Crouch shouted and then cringed away from the wand's point.

"Possibly." Dumbledore sneered. "Personally I don't have time for heroes."

Severus placed a heavy hand on Harry's shoulder guiding him out of the door. McGonagall Had already disappeared down the hall, on her way to notify the guards at Azkaban. The potion's professor was not making a move to follow her. Instead he steered Harry around into a hallway that lead to the dungeons.

Harry gave an involuntary shudder as he saw his destination. Flashes of what happened after the Yule Ball were scorching his thoughts. Leaving painful burns in their wake.

All of a sudden the man stopped and pulled Harry into an alcove. He held Harry at arms length away with both hands on his shoulders. His head was hung low, his hair shielding his face. Harry could feel the tension in the air and held his breath.

"You could have died. He could have killed you!" Severus snapped his head up to look into Harry's face.

The boy knew he was talking about Voldemort and not Barty Crouch Jr. . The anguish on his face showed Harry that the man was not too fond of that idea. He had never seen Snape so emotional. He almost wanted to reach out and smooth away the worry lines on his face.

"You…could have…died." he said each word slowly as the anguish washed away with sadness. "You could have died, died before… before I could…" He dropped his head again, his hair falling to hide his eyes. His hands fell to his side and balled into fists.

Harry watched confused, he wasn't sure what was happening. The man's frame started to shake with noticeable sobs. Harry's eyes widened in surprise. Severus Snape… crying?

"I'm…so sorry." the words dripped with regret as the man brought one hand up to cover his face.

Acting on instinct Harry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders. Severus reacted wrapping his arms around the boy's waist. He buried his face in Harry's neck and cried openly.

**A/N:End of chapter Juuroku (16). Thank you, SSOTVDG for being my new BETA! Please stick around for chapter 17. Where we will see the start of year five! And the formation of the Order Of The Pheonix! **

**THE END OF YEAR FOUR!!!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:_ Welcome to chapter Juunana (17) in the last chapter we saw the close of year four. Now I bring you year five, The Order Of The Phoenix. Another thank you to SSOTVDG for being my new BETA. When we last left the couple Severus had apologized and Harry held him while he was crying. Now, they haven't seen each other after that. So how confused do you think Snape will be? Well we'll see. .O_**

**CH. 17**

_**Order of the Phoenix**_

Severus was in his private lab working on a particularly volatile potion, though his mind was back in the alcove with Harry Potter. The two had not spoken after that, and the man wondered if he was really forgiven after all. His chest ached every time he remembered the boy's frightened face. How could he ever make it up to him? There was a hoot at his door and a few scratching sounds. Severus put his ingredients down and opened the door to see a small envelope left on the floor and the retreating back of a gray owl flying away. The man bent down and picked up the letter then closed the door. He broke the seal and unfolded the paper. The elegant scrawl was definitely Dumbledore's and it read:

Dear Severus,

Please meet at Black Manor. Arrangements have been made for you to arrive by floo. Tonight by seven, if it's not a bother.

The Order is reformed,

Albus Dumbledore.

Snape stared at the parchment in confusion. "The order is reformed" did that mean the old goat was bringing back the Order of the Phoenix? After last year's events it made sense. If it's at Black Manor, no doubt that mutt godfather of Harry's would be there. He growled at the thought of seeing him again.

Severus crumpled up the paper and it's envelope then tossed the heap in the fireplace. "Seven O'clock then." he sneered at the clock on the mantle. It said it was five minutes until seven. "That old cotter." Severus snarled and grabbed his black cloak and stepped in front of the fireplace. The fire inside was burning happily and the man didn't have time to clear it away. So instead he hurried down the stairs to his lab and used the fireplace there. He reached into a pot on the mantle and took a handful of floo-powder. He stepped into the hearth and turned to face the room. "Black Manor!" He threw the powder down and green flames engulfed him.

Next thing he knew something solid crashed into the back of the man's head causing stars to erupt in his vision. Three walls closed in around him and he fell face down out of the tiny fireplace.

There was a roar of laughter and Snape snapped his head up and threw a dark glare at the man who was the source or it. Of course It was Sirius Black. Remus Lupin, who was standing beside his friend, was obviously trying to stifle his own laughter, and he was winning the fight. Then Dumbledore stepped forward to help the man off the floor. Lupin quickly followed.

"My goodness Severus, what has happened to you?" the laughter was clear in the elderly man's voice.

"You told me to floo, old man." Severus snarled. "What's the idea? Sending me through a hearth that small?"

"It was the fastest way my boy." the headmaster chuckled.

In the middle of Severus' growl Arthur Weasley stepped into the small dinning room.

"It's settled," said the red head rubbing his hands together. "Their on their way to retrieve our Harry." He sighed and sat down in one of the chairs around the table.

"What's happened?" Snape asked looking around the room.

"There's been an incident earlier this evening." Mr. Weasley said.

"What kind of incident?" he snapped frustrated. Had Harry been hurt? Did something happen to hurt the boy?

"It appears that dementors attacked him in Surrey. When he used the Patronus Charm it seems it was in front of his cousin Dudley; a muggle."

"The ministry has seen fit to expel mister Potter from Hogwarts. And there's going to be a full criminal trial held against him." said Dumbledore.

"That's preposterous!" roared Snape. "Anyone could see that it was self defense. Isn't that excusable?"

"That's what we're saying, but it seems Fudge has a different idea." Lupin ran a hand over his face and heaved a great sigh. "This is absolutely ridiculous."

"It'll be a few hours before they get here, lets get to work." Sirius said all humor gone from his voice.

Everyone took seats around the table they immediately flew into debate. Severus mostly sat there and listened, if his input was required he might have said a few words but then went back to a sulking silence.

A few hours passed and nobody noticed when the front door opened; at least not until Nymphadora Tonks tripped over something in the hall. Everyone looked up suddenly silent. Severus saw Sirius's eyes soften and a smile cross his features. The man quickly followed his gaze and saw a very tired, worn out boy that was unmistakably Harry Potter, but he wasn't looking at the potion's master; he was smiling at his godfather. All too soon Mrs. Weasley stepped into the doorway to block Severus' view of that amazing smile. He was sure he'd never get to see it aimed at him. Not anymore.

He let his head fall to stare at his hands on the table. The pale fingers set against the dark grain. The same fingers on the same hands that hurt Harry. How he hated them. Just like his voice, it was the same voice that said such hurtful things to the boy. Everything about himself he could no longer stand.

"Severus?" Dumbledore's voice chimed in.

Snape looked up to see everyone in the room staring at him. "Yes?"

"Splendid! Then it's settled." the head master slapped his hands on the table and stood up. "Well I have to get back to Hogwarts, Severus I think you go ahead and move back in, before the school year starts. I know it'll be very hectic this year." he smiled at his friend.

"Wait, what's settled?" Severus was used to the man's personality but it still annoyed him.

"When the time comes, you'll be the one to teach dear Mr. Potter legilimency because we're not sure the connection between him and the dark lord."

"_What_?" Severus sat there dumfounded. "I didn't agree to anything, old man. You must have a screw loose in that gray head of yours."

"Oh, come now Severus, the boy will need your help." Dumbledore winked and left the room. The others who resided in the room followed behind him.

Snape stood up and walked out with them. There was no way Harry would want to have one on one tutoring with the potion's master. He could feel the raw edges of the hole in his chest flare up at just the thought of the boy's hatred. He looked up and saw the headmaster crouching into the fireplace. The scene amused him. The end of the man's long beard was tangling itself in the soot on the floor of the hearth, and his knees were practically connected to his shoulders.

"Until our next meeting my friends." Dumbledore smiled up at the group and Lupin threw in a handful of floo-powder for him, as the man's arms were pinned to the side walls. "HOGWARTS SCHOOL, HEAD MASTER'S OFFICE!" with that the green flames engulfed him and the folded man disappeared.

+~*~*~*~+

Harry sat with Ron on one bed while Hermione and Ginny sat at the one opposite it. Fred and George were messing around on the floor. They were trying to punish Crookshanks for her earlier betrayal with the twins' spying invention, by tying a bell to her tail. Hermione had finally given up trying to stop them and was now in conversation with the others about what they did manage to over hear.

"What do you think the dark lord's after? They were saying they needed to protect something." inquired Ron. He was sitting with his back hunched and his elbows on his knees.

"Yeah," said Ginny. "They even said, not in exact words, that it was more important than Harry." The youngest Weasley looked up with blue eyes at the boy beside her brother.

"I don't understand." said Hermione, defeated. "It doesn't make sense." She too was looking at Harry waiting to hear what he was thinking.

"Well," said the green eyed boy. "it's simple, We'll ask them as soon as we can."

"I don't think they're go'n to just tell us." chimed the twins who released the pig-faced cat; a bell successfully attached to her tail.

The feline jumped into Hermione's lap and Ginny removed the bell.

"We won't know unless we try." said Harry letting out an anxious breath. He knew he had heard the potion's master among the group, just before Crookshanks ate their receiver. He was both glad the man was obviously on their side by being a member of the Order, but also nervous that he was in the same house with Harry. Even though he wasn't sure how long the man would be there, he both wanted to see him, and wanted to hide.

As if on cue Mrs. Weasley opened the door and smiled at the group. "Come on, all of you, time for dinner."

Harry was straggling behind the group going down the stairs. He stared over the railing at the group that seemed to be congregating in front of the fireplace. Tonks was laughing and holding Lupins hand. Sirius was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs. Moody was standing in the corner, his glass eye whizzing around in all directions. He had met the tall dark skinned man ealier, his name was Kingsley. And Mr. Weasley had his hands stuffed in his pockets and a smile on his face. Then Harry's eyes fell on the tall dark figure of Severus Snape. He was scowling into the fireplace, who's green flames had just dissipated. He turned when he heard the group coming down. Harry watched as his dark eyes searching the descending. Finally he looked up and found what he was looking for.

Their eyes met for only a fleeting moment, but it felt like a century. A feeling came over the teenage boy that he hadn't felt in little less then a year. When classes first started up in forth year. It was hard to explain, even to himself. He couldn't put words to it. The feeling was something akin to butterflies and like there was a rope tied around his chest pulling him towards the potion's professor. It also felt as if someone had wrapped a soft warm blanket around him. He couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Harry?"

Hermione's voice pulled the boy's attention away, and he realized that he had stopped walking as soon as he saw the man. He laughed at himself and hurried the rest of the way down the rickety flight of stairs.

"Cub!" Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry in a tight hug.

"Sirius!" Harry was laughing and beaming brilliantly white smiles. "It's good to see you again." he said when they pulled apart.

"You too, pup." the fugitive ruffled his already wild hair and smiled down at his god son.

"Alright everyone!" chimed Mrs. Weasley. "Into the kitchen." she clapped her hands together and smiled happily at the group.

"But Molly, We've just spent hours in there, can't I have some bonding time with my god son?" Sirius barked grabbing Harry around the shoulders and shaking him a bit.

"Sirius, you must do what's best for our Harry. You know he's been without food all summer. Come along dear."

"Really? Have they been starving you?" Sirius looked down at Harry with a concerned face. "You know you could just let it slip that your god father has escaped from the highest security prison and doesn't take lightly to anyone mistreating you."

Harry chuckled. "No, it's just Aunt Petunia put Dudley on a diet and insisted that the whole house go on one as well, to 'support my dudikins.'" Ron and Hermione laughed.

"And what is this diet?" Sirius asked as they walked towards the kitchen.

"A single quarter of a grapefruit for each meal."

Fred and George blanched, "That's disgusting. And torturous."

"Yes, so I'm sure young Harry is very hungry." said Molly hurrying to the stove.

Harry took a seat and both Sirius and Mr. Weasley sat down on either side of him.

"You're lucky Harry." said the ginger haired man. "Molly's made her fried chicken."

Harry looked up and saw Snape shuffle to the end of the table and sit by himself. He was careful not to make eye contact he wasn't sure what had happened before, but he wasn't going to let it happen again. After everyone had finished eating, and they were focused on friendly conversation, Harry pulled out the letter that he received from the ministry after returning back to the Dursley's, from his pocket.

"Hey Sirius, is it true that I'm going to be expelled from Hogwarts?" the boy asked concern on his face.

His godfather reached out for the letter and Harry handed it to him. The man pulled the paper from its envelope and read it out loud.

When he was done everyone looked flustered. "That's not fair!" Hermione chirped. "They can't expel you if it's self defense. I know I read it somewhere."

"I'm surprised she doesn't know the book, the author, the publishing company, who printed it, what page and what paragraph she found that on." said Ron more to himself.

Hermione glared at her freckled friend as Lupin took the letter to re read it silently. "This is very, very peculiar." he said as he skimmed over the page. "It seems that your hearing in the ministry is to be before the entire Wizengamot."

"I don't understand. What has the Ministry of Magic got against me?" Harry said frustrated.

"Show him." came Moodys voice from a dark corner. Everyone fell silent and looked at him. "He'll find out soon enough."

Harry looked around, but everyone turned away. It seemed that they were pretty reluctant to do what Moody said. Finally Kingsley picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet and passed it over to the boy. Harry unfolded it and read the title; "BOY WHO LIES?" was printed across the top over a picture of Harry from the Triwizard tournament.

"He's been attacking Dumbledore as well." Lupin nodded from his spot across the table. The page changed to a picture of the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. The title this time read; "FUDGE: 'ALL IS WELL'"

Sirius leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Fudge has been using all his power, including his influence over the Daily Prophet to smear anyone who claims the Dark Lord has returned."

"Why?" Harry snapped, dropping the paper to the table.

Lupin leaned forward on his elbows and spoke, "The minister thinks Dumbledore is after his job."

"But that's insane. No one in their right mind could believe that-"

"Exactly the point. Fudge isn't in his right mind. It's been twisted and warped by fear. Now, fear makes people do terrible things, Harry. The last time Voldemort gained power he almost destroyed everything we hold most dear. Now he's returned, and I'm afraid the minister will do almost anything to avoid facing that terrifying truth." Everyone was silent for a long moment lost in their own thoughts.

"We think, Voldemort, wants to build up his army again." said Sirius solemnly. "Fourteen years ago, he had huge numbers at his command. And not just witches and wizards, but all manner of dark creatures. He's been recruiting heavily, and we've been attempting to do the same. But gathering followers isn't the only thing he's interested in." Sirius looked up warily at Mrs. Weasley as she packed away the leftovers. Moody cleared his throat from his corner. "We believe, Voldemort may be after something."

"Sirius." Moody warned both his eyes fixed on the man.

"Something he didn't have last time." the ex-prisoner continued.

"You mean, like a weapon or something?" Harry pressed.

"No." Mrs. Weasley slammed down the fork she had been using. "That's enough. He's just a boy." she crossed the room and grabbed the paper from in front of Harry. "You say any more and you might as well induct him into the Order, straight away."

"Good." Said Harry. "I want to join. If Voldemort's raising an army, then I want to fight."

Sirius beamed. It was like his son had just made the saving play of the championship.

Molly sighed, "Well I think everyone should get to bed, it's very late." she said picking up the dishes.

The Weasley children stood up followed by Hermione. "C'mon mate." said Ron standing behind him.

**A/N: _That was Chapter Juunana (17). I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry for my absence, I was busy with college, and family troubles. I would like to formally announce some good news, I am officially engaged to be married. The date is set for December of 2010. Thank you for your continued support and not giving up on me. Yours sincerely, Dyslexia. _**

_**SSOTVDG: hallo! This is Dyslexia's BETA. Please do not complain about the lady. Collage and marriage can be stressful! So go click the green button down there and tell her your thoughts. It can be an early congratulations gift to the brilliant lady writing this wonderful story you all enjoy so much! :) Oh! There was something kooky going on with the file extensions and the text was all mixed up and bunched together.... so I fixed it the best I could. (from looking at the original file of course.) but I did combine some text...**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Hello everyone! I want to thank you all for your congratulations and you are all invited to the wedding. Lol if you can make it, BYOB. J/k. alright, welcome to chapter Juuhachi! (18) in the last chapter we saw a slight rekindling to the flames of love. In this chapter we'll see the trial. Oh I'm just on the edge of my seat in suspense, what will the verdict be? But don't worry there will be some Severus as well. Don't forget to review!**_

**The Hearing**

Harry woke the next morning to Mr. Weasley gently shaking him. "Morning, Harry." He said with a whisper and a smile. "Molly's got breakfast ready for us. Don't want to be late to your own trial now, right?"

Harry smiled at the man, who nodded and walked out the room. The boy got dressed quietly because his room mate was still asleep, snoring so loudly it was a wonder how he had slept through it.

Once he was dressed he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had fixed enough to feed an army with. And Harry guessed that, that was exactly true, seeing as how many were staying in the small house. Author Weasley took a seat at the end of the table and smiled at his wife. Harry let his eyes wander to the furthest seat away, and not to his surprise he did not see a sulky dark figure there. He sat down next to the man and started eating.

"Good luck, Harry." said Mrs. Weasley waving them goodbye. It was a short walk to the subway station where Mr. Weasley was finding it hard to contain himself. They rode across town and then walked to a phone booth on the corner of the street.

"I've never used the visitor entrance before." the man said holding the door open for Harry. "Should be fun."

Harry stepped into the little cubby and made room for his companion. "Let me just get my muggle money." he said reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a coin and dropped it in the slot, then stared out the window.

It was a moment before anything happened. The box suddenly jerked and started to move slowly down into the ground, as if it were an elevator. The booth dropped into a corridor filled with witches and wizards. Paper airplanes were zipping around in the air occasionally you'd see an owl. Along the walls there were fireplaces all down the hallway. Green flames would roar to life and a witch or wizard would step through, but before the flames could die away completely they would flare up again and another person would step through.

"Is it always this busy?" Harry asked looking around once the box had landed to let them off.

"Is it busy?" Author asked leading the way to file in among the traffic. Harry stayed right on the man's heals and found himself in an elevator packed with other wizards. Just before the doors closed a familiar person squeezed through and moved to stand behind Mr. Weasley. He leaned forward and whispered something in his ear.

"Merlin's beard. Thank you Kingsley." He said, then he leaned forward to relay the message to Harry. "They've changed the time of your hearing."

"When is it?" he asked looking up at the man.

"In five minutes." Suddenly the elevator jerked backward in a horizontal direction, Harry knew because he almost fell forward. And then quickly right.

Once they finally reached their destination most of the occupants in the tight quarters were gone, except for Harry, Mr. Weasley, Kingsley, and of course the young graduate operating the elevator. The doors slid open and Harry and Mr. Weasley stepped out as a woman's voice rang through the speakers; "Department of Mysteries." she said. They walked quickly down a dark hallway their footsteps echoing off the walls.

It wasn't long until Harry heard something besides their footsteps; voices. They were whispering to each other. The hallway continued straight but there was another hallway to the left further down. They reached the intersection and Harry stopped when he saw Cornelius Fudge and Lucius Malfoy standing there talking in hushed tones. They looked up when they heard Harry approach. The boy noticed that the pair were standing in front of a large black door with a large golden doorknob only the doorknob was in the center of the door and not at the side. He wondered what the significance in that was when Mr. Weasley lightly touched his shoulder urging him on.

They finally came to a stop in front of an ordinary looking door. "Remember," started Mr. Weasley. "During the hearing, speak only when you're spoken to. Keep calm. You've done nothing wrong. As the muggles say, truth will out. Yes?"

"Mm…" Harry nodded his head, his mind too full of thoughts for an actual answer.

"I'm not allowed in, I'm afraid." Harry turned to the man a mixture of shock and disappointment on his face. He was going to have to face them all alone. "Good luck, Harry."

The green eyed boy shuffled into the dimly lit room. The whole chamber was shaped in a circle and there was bleacher-like seating all around the room. There was a lone high back chair in the center facing a large judge's bench. There was a large group of people on either side of the bench, but they didn't stretch all around the room. They were wearing black and red robes, with matching hats. Harry thought they looked silly in them. He crossed the room to the plain wooden chair and took a seat, it was very uncomfortable and by the time Mr. Fudge made his appearance Harry's neck was already starting to hurt.

Cornelius Fudge was wearing black robes and the same silly black hat as the others. He entered from a door hidden behind the bench. He took his seat which towered above the others. Once he had made himself comfortable he picked up his gavel and smacked it on his desk, silencing the room. "Disciplinary hearing of the 12th of August into offenses committed by Harry James Potter resident at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Interrogator: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Mag-"

"Witness for the defense." a Familiar voice cut in from behind Harry. He turned to see Dumbledore walking in through the same door he had used. The whole room was stirred up in hushed whispers. Mr. Fudge was so surprised he took off his reading glasses to make sure he was seeing the man right. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." he continued coming to a rest beside Harry.

"You-you got our message that the time and place of the hearing had been changed, did you?" said Fudge with an edgy voice.

"I must have missed it. But by a happy mistake, I arrived at the Ministry three hours early." the room was silent and the Minister looked as if he was about to explode with the frustration. "Charges?"

Fudge regained his composure and replaced his glasses on his face. "The charges against the accused are as follows: that he did knowingly and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions produced a Patronus Charm in the presence of a muggle." For the first time since Harry saw him in the hallway with Mr. Malfoy, Fudge fixed his beady eyes on Harry. "Do you deny producing said Patronus?"

"No, but-"

"And you were aware that you were forbidden to use magic outside of school, while under the age of 17?"

"Yes, I was, but-"

"Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot," the Minister leaned back in his chair looking away from Harry to instead drag his gaze over the others around him.

But before Harry would let the man continue he spoke out, practically shouting, "I was only doing it because of the Dementors." This sent the room under waves of whispers. Every eye was aimed at Harry, as if he was facing down a firing squad.

"Dementors?" spoke a blonde woman wearing a black robe, and dark lipstick. "In Little Whinging?"

"That's quite clever." Said Fudge turning on the accused again. "Muggles can't see Dementors, can they, boy? Highly convenient."

"I'm not lying. There were two of them and if I hadn't-"

"Enough." Fudge raised his hand silencing Harry's tale. "I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure was a very well-rehearsed story. But since you can produce no witnesses of the event-"

"Pardon me, Minister, but as it happens, we can." cooed Hogwarts head master.

Fudge looked more annoyed then ever as he turned to the man beside Harry. "And where is this witness?"

"She's waiting outside, Minister."

"Show her in." said the woman from before. Dumbledore nodded and motioned for Harry to stand. They walked towards the door, but the man pointed to the empty seats and told Harry to sit. The dark haired boy sat down and fidgeted with the seam of his shirt nervously. This whole thing wasn't going well. How was he going to get out of this if they wouldn't let him say what happened?

Dumbledore left the room and returned a few minutes later, followed by Mrs. Figg. She smiled at Harry with a small wave and took a seat in the chair. When the room calmed down the blonde woman spoke.

"Please describe the attack." When Mrs. Figg didn't respond she re-worded her question. "What did they look like?"

"Oh, well. One was rather large, and the other very skinny."

Fudge chuckled, "Not the boys, the Dementors."

"Oh, oh right. Well, big…cloaked. And then, everything got cold, as though all the happiness had gone from the world."

"Now, look here. Dementors don't just wander into a muggle suburb and happen across a wizard. The odds are astronomical." said Fudge laughter in his voice, as if he thought this was all a joke.

"I don't think anybody would believe the Dementors were there by coincidence, Minister." said Dumbledore stepping in front of the bench.

A small woman, also wearing black robes cleared her throat delicately. "I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, professor." she said with a brilliant smile accenting her rosy cheeks. "Dementors are, after all, under the control of the Ministry of Magic. And it's so silly of me, but it sounded for a moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry had ordered the attack on this boy."

"That would be disturbing indeed, Madam Undersecretary. Which is why I'm sure the Ministry will be mounting a full-scale inquiry into why the Dementors were so very far from Azkaban and why they mounted an attack without authorization." Fudge looked liked he was sitting on nails, he was so red-faced. "Of course, there is someone…" Dumbledore continued. "who might be behind the attack."

Harry could swear he saw steam coming off of the Minister as he ground his teeth. The boy's eyes kept darting back and forth between the professor and the livid man.

"Cornelius, I implore you to see reason. The evidence that the Dark Lord has returned is incontrovertible."

"He's…not…back." Fudge choked out through gritted teeth.

The room was silent once again everyone lost in internal debate. "In the matter of Harry Potter, the law clearly states that magic may be used before Muggles in life-threatening situations." Dumbledore said addressing the room.

"Laws can be changed if necessary, Dumbledore." shouted the Minister.

"Clearly. Has it become practice to hold a full criminal trial to deal with a simple matter of underage magic?"

Everyone was whispering to each other again, a low roar coming to life. "Those in favor of conviction?" said the blonde woman, calming the room. Slowly a hand would raise here and there, Cornelius Fudge raised his hand, as did the small woman, who liked to smile. After they were counted and their hands lowered, the blonde woman spoke again. "Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?" Like a wave most of the hands rose including the blonde and of course Mrs. Figg. Though Harry was sure she wasn't counted. When their hands were lowered all eyes fell on the Minister.

Mr. Fudge looked like he'd rather eat dirt then say what he was about to. He raised his gavel and barked, "Cleared of all charges." he lowered the small hammer with more effort then was required and quickly stormed out the door behind the bench.

+~*~*~*~+

Severus Snape packed the rest of his things into his trunks. Of course he had robes already waiting at the school in his private chambers, but things like books and potion materials he couldn't leave behind. He heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed his neck. Despite having plenty to do, he couldn't keep himself busy enough to keep his mind off the boy who smiled at him while standing on a flight of stairs.

Harry filled his thoughts in everything he did. Quite frequently a random memory would wash over whatever he was trying to distract himself with. Like the two of them sitting at a small table together in front of a fireplace. They were drinking tea and Harry suddenly leaned over the table and placed a gentle, feather-light kiss on his nose. That was the first time anybody had said something so nice to him. Harry had said in the softest of whispers, "…I think you're just…perfect." Severus smiled to himself, remembering the tender expression on the boy's face as he said that. Too often did he curse himself for losing such a wonderful thing. It was his fault, after all. He was the one, like everyone else, that didn't believe him. He had listened to his insistent pleas and still rejected him.

Snape shook his head clearing his thoughts and went to pull his cloak on.

_**A/N: Thank you for being so patient! Next chapter, the start of the school year! What troubles will the new DADA professor bring? And exactly how long is this one going to last? Seriously, why is it that every year there's a new one? It's like they're an endangered species. Oh well. Please review, or I'll have to kill Severus. Just kidding, or am I?**_


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:_ Welcome to chapter Juukyuu (19)! Alright everyone, I'm not much for an introduction today, so let's get started. _**

**5th YEAR**

Severus Snape looked up, from his potion text, at the clock on the mantle for the hundredth time that night. Almost 17:00, just a few more minutes and he would head down stairs to the Great Hall. Tonight was the night that all the students would arrive back to Hogwarts and the new first years would be sorted into their houses. He wasn't certain, but he did have a pretty good guess, as to why he was so anxious for the meal this year. Albus had not told him anything, so he did not know how the trial against Harry had gone. He really wanted to make sure the boy was alright.

He ran his hand over his face once he realized he had read the same sentence, several times now, he bookmarked his page and rose to his feet. It wasn't uncommon for the man to show up a bit early, except on this day of the year, he usually tried to miss it if at all possible, and frequently voiced his distaste for it. So, to his colleges it might seem a bit strange if the potion's professor was there a few minutes early, rather than late.

The man sighed and thought it better to take the mental scrutiny than to laze about his rooms biting his nails. He sat his book down on the mantel next to the clock, which he looked at again, he still had a little while before the dinner actually started but he couldn't wait.

It only took a few minutes for him to reach the stairs. As he climbed up his eyes rested on a large window opposite the peak of the stairs. He wandered over to it and looked out over the grounds. He saw the carriages arriving at the gate and wondered which one Harry was on, or if he was on one at all.

He watched as the students ambled across the grounds. The clouds were moving transversely over the moon, causing shadows to dance in a celestial tango with the landscape. Where the shadows weren't playing, the moon reached its fingers and lightly brushed over anything within its reach. The gentle touch graced over the facial features of a very beautiful fifteen year old boy, who was just arriving at the gate. He watched as a bushy-haired girl and a red-headed boy jumped out of the carriage. They were unmistakably Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley, Harry Potter's two best friends. There was another girl with long white-blonde hair who skipped through the gate. And another boy, judging by the way he nearly fell on his face, Severus assumed that was the Longbottom boy. Harry shuffled behind his friends, his hands in his pockets.

As if he sensed someone was watching him he stopped and stared up at the castle. His friends didn't notice and kept walking. His eyes settled on a large paned window with a black figure standing behind it. The moment their eyes met Severus felt a strange pull towards the boy, as if his sternum was straining to reach the boy and have him pressed to his chest. It took every ounce of his restraint to keep from racing down the halls and wrap his arms around the boy's slim figure.

Severus was very confused about this feeling, it was something he'd never felt before. It seemed very out of character for him, to want someone. To care about someone. Then he saw something he had been so sure he'd never see again, before the Order's meeting. Harry's mouth stretched in an angelic smile. It was as if he was a Botticelli that had stepped out of his frame. Harry's hand came up to knead the center of his chest as if something there was bothering him.

It was a second more then the boy took off in a sprint. He passed his friends and flew through the doors into the castle.

Severus' breath caught in his lungs and he turned away from the window. He hurried down the hall and turned down another corridor when someone collided with his chest and stumbled back. The man's breath was pushed out of his body in a rush and he looked down at the boy who was staring up at him.

Severus' obsidian eyes once again locked with Chrome Diopside orbs. They stood there staring at each other for the longest time.

"H-hi…" Harry sputtered wringing his hands.

Severus swallowed the lump in his throat, "Hello, I must say, I'm very pleased that you have not been expelled."

"Yeah, you and me both. Well, you know Dumbledore-"

"Harry! What's wrong with you mate?" Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger rounded a corner and hurried to catch up with their friend.

"What's going on, Harry?" said Hermione looking up warily at the potions professor. "C'mon, it's time for the feast."

"Right, sorry." Harry scratched the back of his neck and stared at his feet in embarrassment.

Severus gave a quick nod at the trio and strode passed them, his hands folded behind him.

+~*~*~*~+

Harry followed his friends to the Great Hall and they sat at their usual spot. With Hermione and Harry sitting together then Ron sitting across from them. But Harry noticed that no one would sit on his other side. Seamus Finnigan was sitting with Dean Thomas but he kept his distance, and never looked his way. Instead of joining in the conversations with the others he occupied his time with eating his food and the occasional glances at the teacher's table. More then once his gaze was met by an ink black stare.

One such time, he was staring into the darkest most beautiful pools he had ever seen when Hermione spoke up. "What do you keep looking at?"

Harry's head snapped around in a flash. "What?"

"You keep looking up at the professors and I was just wondering what was so interesting up there."

Ron's blue eyes darted back and forth between the two with a mouth full of food, causing his cheeks to bulge.

Harry wasn't sure if Hermione had noticed they way their eyes locked together, but he did know how observant she was. "Nothing, it's just Umbridge. God, she so…pink." The boy made a disgusted face, and his two friends laughed.

+~*~*~*~+

Later that evening the students were all tucked away in there houses and Severus Snape was making his way to the headmaster's office. "Lemon Drop." he spoke to the gargoyles that guarded the entrance to the spiral staircase that led to Dumbledore's office.

They parted allowing the potion master to pass. He climbed the staircase and lightly tapped on the door.

"Come on in Severus." the elderly man's voice rang from behind the wood.

The man sighed and pushed open the door. "How did you know it was me, old man?"

"A lucky guess I suppose. Imagine how silly it would've been if I had called you Minerva."

"That would've been strange." the potions professor took a seat across from Dumbledore's desk, and sighed again.

"Tell me what's bothering you." the starry eyed man folded his hands under his chin and smiled at Snape's scowl.

"Well, headmaster, I strongly believe I've been cursed." Severus folded his arms over his chest and glared at the grain of the wooden desk in front of him. "Someone has placed a very powerful curse on me."

"Interesting, what are the side effects?"

"Well, for starters. Every time I see this person, I feel compelled to grab them. To touch them in anyway. And when I'm not around this person I can't stop thinking about them…and it's driving me insane. I feel the crazy need to protect this person at all costs, but every time I think about how I hurt this person before…it's as if I have a searing hole in my chest with biting raw edges. I've never been cursed in such a manner, I don't know how to fix it."

The old man just sat there a bright unchanging smile on his face. Finally Severus couldn't take it anymore, "WHAT?"

"Oh Severus, you haven't been cursed, my friend."

"Then what is it?"

"You really don't know?" The man sat back and eyed the fuming man carefully. "Severus, you have found yourself tangled in the beautiful webs of love."

"Love?" Severus asked incredulous. "You're saying I'm in love?"

"So who's the lucky guy?"

"What makes you think it's a guy?" Severus' eyes widened and he griped the arm rests so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Dumbledore gave him one of those looks that reads, 'Honestly you think I wouldn't know?' "So who is he?"

A light pink tinge dusted the man's cheeks, "I…I don't want to tell you." He turned his head away keeping his face away from the headmaster.

"Really? Why not?"

Severus didn't respond instead he stood up and moved to leave the office. Now that he had Dumbledore's theory he had to pander it for a while.

"Is it a student?"

The words cut through Severus causing him to freeze mid-step. "Um…" he turned around and faced the old man. He raised one quizzical eyebrow and asked, "Do you honestly think I would have any sort of sexual relationship with a student, headmaster?"

"I didn't, until you said that." Dumbledore stood and stepped around the desk. "He better be worth it Severus." They were silent for a long moment before Dumbledore continued. "You do understand what you've already agreed to do. Do not pull this boy into it. The future is already set."

"Yes I know." He dropped his gaze. "I understand." With that the potions professor turned and left the office.

**A/N:_ Hey there, I just want to let everyone know that Chrome Diopside is a very beautiful green gem. Google image it. In my opinion it's prettier then Emerald. Well that was chapter Juukyuu. Stay tuned for…Nijuu!_**

_**SSOTVDG (The BETA): Chrome Diopside is also known as Calcium magnesium silicate. (a very beautiful green stone) like Harry's eyes, yeah? :)**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: Hi everyone, welcome to chapter Nijuu! (20) in the last chapter we saw the start of the new school year and our dear potion's professor have a very interesting conversation with the head master. I know this might have confused a few of you. Well, I have to let everyone know that it probably won't be explained for a very long time, it's like epic foreshadowing. In fact you probably won't understand it until after the war! Sorry for the suspense of sorts. Now, are we going to see Harry's own confession?**_

_**WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR**_

"Can I talk to you?" Harry looked down at Hermione who was sitting at one end of the couch reading an astronomy text.

"Sure, Harry." She bookmarked her page and sat up straight. "Have a seat."

"Um, actually…can we go for a walk?" Harry fidgeted.

"Yeah," she said confused, standing, setting the book down where she previously sat.

Together they walked out of the common room and down the halls. Once they reached the grounds encompassing the school Hermione looked up at her companion. "What's bothering you Harry?"

"You remember last year? When Cedric found me in the Prefects bathroom?" Harry kept his eyes away from his friend as they walked.

Hermione practically growled "Yes."

"Well, that's sort of what I wanted to talk about."

"What about it?" She extended her hand and lightly touched his shoulder.

"Well, that…guy. I can't stop thinking about him. It's not bad, it's…I don't know, um, it's like I forgave him before I even realized it."

"You forgave him? After what he did?" She removed her hand from his shoulder, in shock.

"I know I should hate him, I want to hate him. But…I just can't."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know, that's why I needed to talk." Harry stopped and turned to face his friend "I need to explain some things, and you have to promise not to say a word to Ron, or anyone."

"Alright, I promise." Her brow creased with concern.

Harry was on the verge of telling her who the identity of the rapist was, she could feel it. And as soon as she found that out she would turn the bastard in.

"Well…that guy and I, we were sort of in a relationship before it happened." Harry's face was beet red, his gaze turned away from his friend.

For a long moment Hermione didn't say anything. Harry felt her gentle hand once again rest on his shoulder. "Harry look at me."

The boy hesitated but slowly turned to face his bushy-haired friend. She was smiling, her large teeth practically glowing. "I knew it." she said, her expression setting into a more devious look.

"Huh?"

"I knew you were gay. So who was he? And if you two were together then why would he do something like that to you?"

"Oh, um…well, actually we were only together for the first part of last year. He sort of got mad at me for the whole tournament thing." Harry reached up and scratched the back of his neck, he couldn't believe how his friend was reacting. This definitely wasn't what he was expecting.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why he…you know." her brows knit together in frustration.

"Yeah about that, actually it was a misunderstanding. Now I know he shouldn't have gone that far, but at the Yule Ball Cedric was telling me how to figure out the egg. He didn't want anyone to know he was helping me and he leaned in to whisper, I think that…that guy, thought that Cedric had kissed me, and he was jealous."

"That's still no excuse." she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now, tell me who he is."

Harry shook his head. "No that's not what I wanted to talk about. Hermione, I can't get him out of my head." He smiled softly. "It's like when I'm not around him all I want is to be with him. And when I see him I just want him to hug me, or something. Is that stupid?"

"Harry…he hurt you, bad. Don't tell me you're in love with him even after he did that."

Harry looked up surprised. "Love?"

"Yeah, I mean, considering what he did to you. I know I wouldn't be able to ever look at him."

"Is that what this is? I'm…in love with him?"

Hermione looked at her friend curiously. "Yes, that's what it sounds like. Oh…" her expression changed suddenly. "You didn't know. That's why you needed to talk? You weren't sure what you were feeling. Oh, Harry." her smile beamed brighter than ever, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the boy's torso. "I completely understand why you wouldn't want to talk to Ronald about this." she chuckled pulled away. "Okay, spill. Tell me about him, how it feels when you see him, when you think about him."

Harry blinked, "Um…okay." They started walking again towards the lake as Harry talked and Hermione chirped her "Awes" and "Oooh's".

They found themselves in the Gryffindor common room again sitting in front of the fire talking together quietly. They were both caught in a laughing fit when a familiar red head crouched beside the two.

"Hey guys, I've been looking for you all morning. Where have you been?" asked Ron looking between the two.

"Hey Ron." said Harry smiling at his friend. It was as if he had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders by talking to Hermione. "'Mione and I were just walking around."

"Well it's almost time for lunch, you want ta go ahead and start that way?"

"Sure, I'm getting a bit hungry anyway. How about you Harry?" Hermione pushed off the floor and stood to her full height followed by the other two.

"Yeah I'm starving." The three made their way to the Great Hall and sat together as they ate.

+~*~*~*~+

Sitting amongst the other professors was a man clad in black robes. His obsidian eyes stayed glued to a certain teenage boy sitting at the Gryffindor table with his friends. He didn't even take his eyes off when he spooned his soup. He couldn't get what Dumbledore had said out of his mind. It nagged at him until the hole in his chest seemed minuscule. How could he be in love with the boy? It didn't make sense, he never cared for anyone, that just wasn't him. But when he thought about the future, he couldn't see himself living happily without Harry Potter.

"Ah, so he's a Gryffindor." Dumbledore took his seat next to the potion's professor.

"Head Master." Severus tore his eyes away from the beautiful boy and instead directed his gaze at his meal. "You might me right. But there's no way I'll ever admit it to him."

Albus sighed, "That's probably best. Considering the situation." The man picked up his spoon and started to eat his soup.

Severus stood from his seat, suddenly no longer hungry, and left the Great Hall. The Potion's professor went straight to his chambers and started the fire. He picked up the text he had previously sat on the mantle and then positioned himself comfortably on the couch. He didn't look up from the book until there was panicked knock on the door. He looked up and saw that it was two in the morning, his neck and back were stiff from sitting still for so long. He bookmarked his page and sat the text down on a small table before crossing the room and answering the wild pounding at his door.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" he said as he opened the door. The caretaker, Mr. Filch, was standing there his breathing erratic, as if he had ran across the castle to wake the potion master.

"I'm sorry professor, but Dumbledore needs you immediately." He didn't say anything about why Snape was still wearing robes and clearly had not been asleep.

Severus quickly stepped out of his chambers, closing the door behind him. "What's happened?" he asked as the two of them rushed out of the potion classroom.

"Well, the young mister Potter has had a terrible premonition. He claims that Author Weasley has just been attacked."

"Harry? How could he know that?" They flew up a flight of stairs, the Potion's professor overtaking the caretaker.

"Said he dreamt it."

Severus turned down a corridor and hurried to the gargoyles. "Lemon drop." he said for the second time in two days. The creatures let him pass and sprinted up those stairs as well. When he reached the door the heard what was unmistakably Harry's voice shouting.

"LOOK AT ME!" There was a long moment of silence as Severus hesitantly stepped into the room. He saw Harry standing in the center with his back to him. The Weasley children were grouped together off to the side with Minerva McGonagall. Dumbledore was facing Harry, everyone had a look of shock. "What's happening to me?"

Dumbledore hesitated then noticed Severus standing in the doorway. "You wished to see me, Headmaster?"

Harry's head snapped around to look straight into his eyes. "Oh, Severus." Dumbledore said, stepping forward. "I'm afraid we can't wait. Not even till the morning. You remember what we discussed at the Order meeting?"

Severus remembered how the old man had weaseled him into teaching Harry legilimency. "I do."

"Very well then."

_**A/N: All right everyone. Sorry for the short chapter. And sorry for making you wait a little longer for their relationship to kick off again. But I believe I got what I wanted into this chapter and so we'll see what happens in Nijuuichi (21). This was chapter Nijuu (20), I hope you liked it.**_

_**SSOTVDG: I wanted to clear (a thing I found) up, because maybe some of y'all readers may not know, but: legilimency is the art of penetrating the mind, while occulmency  is the art of protecting, barricading, or shielding ones mind against attacks. Hope that cleared some stuff up...**_

_**~ the root for Occulmency comes from oculus or oculi which English translation (from the Latin oculus/oculi) means eye, to see, or to view... while the all around rudimentary meaning for legilimency is freedom... to free... to play. I'm not very sure because I cannot come upon any root similar (In my head or in a Latin dictionary) so I'm going to basically say freedom to play in ones mind someone else's mind that is.**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: **Hey there everyone! I hope you all got my message about having technical problems with the last chapter. If not, well it doesn't matter anymore because I finally got it up. So here's chapter Nijuuichi (21). I think I'll pick up right where we left off. No forward skip or anything. Okay, here we go. Don't forget to review._

**FLAMES REKINDLED?**

Dumbledore turned back to Harry and sighed. "Harry, Professor Snape will explain things. If you would, please follow him."

The boy swallowed thickly and looked at the potion master hesitantly. After a minute he nodded and then turned to give one last sympathetic look to the Weasleys.

"Don't worry Harry." said George.

"Thanks to you everything will be okay." said Fred. The two twins smiled at their friend, reassuringly.

"Yeah Harry," said Ginny. "Thank you very much."

Ron smiled and gave a dismissing wave of his hand. Harry took a raged breath, still not quite satisfied.

"Mr. Potter…" Severus' voice cut in and Harry turned to see him holding the door open, waiting.

Harry stepped forward and walked past the man. As he climbed down the stairs he heard the door close gently behind them, and then Severus' footsteps.

"Tell me about this dream." the man's deep voice reverberated off the stone walls.

"There was a large snake, and it moved down this hall. Then I saw Mr. Weasley walking through aisles of glowing crystal balls. He had his wand drawn as if he was expecting an attack. Then the snake was there and it was striking him, he fell to the ground and couildn't protect himself. I woke up after that." Harry looked over his shoulder to see the man staring intensely at him.

After a while Severus finally spoke, "Dumbledore believes that you and the dark lord are connected somehow. After all when you survived the killing curse he lost half of his magic. Perhaps, he can manipulate your thoughts; dreams for example. I will teach you Occulmency and Legilimency. The art of protecting or shielding your mind, and the art of penetrating the mind." Harry half smiled, he always loved learning new things.

As if sensing his fear, Severus moved to walk side by side with the boy. "Don't worry Harry. I'm sure Mr. Weasley will be fine, thanks to you."

Harry's heart pounded in his chest and his cheeks flushed. Was Severus Snape trying to console him? "Thank you, Professor."

The man smirked, "Didn't I say before, when we're alone, to call me Severus?"

"Yes, I think you might have mentioned that once or twice." Harry said. "But that was before."

They were silent as they walked the rest of the way to the potion's classroom. "To prevent our lesson from being interrupted we'll go to my private lab." Severus walked briskly to an arched door. It was not the same one that lead to his chambers though it shared the same wall. Harry followed quickly behind the man. Severus unlocked the door and held it open for the boy.

Harry stepped into the small room and looked around. There were shelves lining every free space on the walls and a counter next to the door. An empty cauldron sat over an unlit burner. There was a wooden chair, that reminded him of the same chair he sat in during his trial, pushed under the counter. Severus Snape closed the door and stepped around Harry to reach for the chair. He dragged it across the floor and posed it in the center of the room. "You can sit here." he said turning his back to the boy.

Harry moved out of the man's way and took a seat in the chair. His mind was racing and his heart was pounding. He wanted to reach out and touch the man, he wanted the man to reach out and touch him. He had never been in love before and he couldn't help himself.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do exactly, or what he was going to say. He wasn't sure what the man would do, or what he would say. He just wanted to be near him. It was true the room was small enough for him to be considered relatively close to him right now, but he wanted to be closer. Just as he was about to stand and cross the room Snape turned to face him and pointed his wand at the boy.

"Prepare yourself."

Harry gulped and stared up at the man, his green eyes dull from his sleepless night. "Wait," he said nervously. "What exactly is this going to do to me?"

"I will attempt to penetrate your mind. You will attempt to block me." Severus' eyes turned sympathetic and he lowered his wand. "I'm going use Legilimency once, without you trying to protect yourself. You need to be able to know what it feels like at full strength. I'll do this for thirty seconds, then I'll give you a minute break before telling you how to shield yourself. I'll see your darkest memories, and all of your secrets. I apologize in advance." he raised his wand again, "In three…two…one. Legilimens!"

+~*~*~*~+

Suddenly Severus was pulled into Harry's past, the memories showed themselves at random. Every few seconds it was a different memory.

"_Blown up?! You told me my parents died in a car crash!" eleven year old Harry Potter yelled at a curly haired woman who was standing next to a whale of a man._

"_A car crash?! A car crash killed Lily and James Potter?!" Hagrid the half giant shouted. _

"_We had to say something." the woman said in a nasally voice._

Harry's life whooshed past the potion professor before stopping at another memory.

"_It's no use, Harry! It only listens to me now!" a young Tom Riddle shouted after the retreating twelve year old. He was standing by Ginny Weasley's limp body. A giant snake, that could only have been a basilisk, struck at the boy. _

_Harry quickly turned down a tunnel and ran into the darkness. The basilisk slithered after him. The boy ran through the network of tunnels, like a mouse in a maze. He turned down one only to meet a metal grate blocking his way. He was cornered. He quickly turned to see the basilisk's head appear in the entrance. Its tongue darted out to smell for its prey. Harry slowly reached down, trying not to make any noise, and picked up a pretty good sized rock. With the flick of his wrist, he chucked it around the corner, causing a splash in the water that was pooled on the floor of the tunnels. The snake turned its head with a start and made a quick retreat, having been fooled. _

Once again images of the boy steadily growing older flew around Snape, until he landed in another.

"_YOU INTOLLERABLE BRAT!" a deep voice boom across the expanse of the memory. It was the man who looked like a whale from before. His fat face was pink with rage and he held a small cast iron shovel, meant for the fireplace, high in the air. A broken Harry laid curled up on the floor beneath him. Blood stained his too-large shirt as he squeezed his eyes shut. _

_The man brought the shovel down across the boy's rib cage. Producing a pained wail from the teenager. Suddenly the man's large foot kicked his stomach, successfully silencing the cry by forcing all of the oxygen in his lungs out of his body in one rush. _

Severus saw many more memories, some worse and some slightly better.

_A familiar door swung open to reveal himself, very angry, wearing his pajamas. His expression changed to one of confusion. There was no one in front of him. Then invisible hands pressed to his chest, gently pushing him out of the way. _

_Severus watched himself step back and heard Harry's voice say, "Thank you." The door swung closed, apparently by itself, and then, after a moment, the owner of that voice materialized in front of him. Snape's posture stiffened and he stared dumbstruck at the boy. _

_Harry sighed, "I wanted to talk." It was obvious he was trying to look as serious as possible._

"_I already told you, there's nothing to talk about! I've already apologized, it's done. Why can't you just forget it ever happened?"_

_Harry's expression fell, looking hurt. "How can you say that?! You and I-"_

"_I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to rape you! It just happened. It's almost like I couldn't stop myself."_

"_Rape?" said Harry his confusion clear in his tone. "You didn't rape me." a smile crossed his beautiful features. "That wasn't rape."_

_They stared at each other for a long moment, Harry smiling patiently and Severus deliberating. _

_Finally the man spoke. "You mean…it was…"_

"_Consensual." Harry finished his sentence for him._

All of a sudden the scenery changed, Severus glared dejectedly at the passing images. He had wanted to see the rest of that memory.

"_Hi Harry, hi Ron." Cedric Diggory was wearing formal robes and sitting next to Harry, who was sitting next to Ron. He smiled at the two but noticed the Weasley boy glowering at somebody. "What's wrong with him?"_

"_He's jealous." replied Harry with a nod._

"_Am not!" shouted Ron suddenly livid. "It's just…" he waved his hand towards the dancing crowd, obviously he was not talking about the entire student body, but one of the couples amongst the swaying masses. "You know."_

"_Is he jealous of Krum? Or Hermione, do you think?" Cedric and Harry laughed together as the ginger haired boy's face turned as red as his hair._

"_Oh shut it!"_

"_Where's Cho?" asked Harry changing the subject. _

"_Oh she's over there, dancing with some friends. I told her I wanted to talk to you."_

"_Really? 'Bout what?" asked the other boy intrigued._

"_Um…" Cedric looked over Harry's head at his companion. _

_Harry picked up on the hint. "We can go over there if you want." he said pointing to a deserted corner._

"_Fantastic." The older boy stood up and walked briskly to the appointed location. _

"_I'll be back in a moment." Harry said to Ron, who could care less as he was trying to shoot lasers from his eyes. Then he followed after the Hufflepuff._

"_Listen," the older boy began. "I wanted to thank you for tipping me off about the dragons." It was then that Severus saw himself enter the room and start to look around. _

"_Oh, well it was no problem. I'm sure you would've done the same for me." _

"_Yeah, exactly. Umm…" Cedric looked around and spied a few stragglers close by. It was then that he leaned forward. Severus saw himself on the other side of the room suddenly become enraged. The boy whispered, "Take your egg to the prefect's bathroom on the second floor. Take a bath."_

The potion's professor was shocked. He could have sworn the two of them had kissed. Then again he could have sworn Harry was the one that had been stealing from his stores as well. But it turned out to be Barty Crouch Jr. posing as Mad Eye Moody.

The man found himself back in the small laboratory, standing in front of a very exhausted Harry. The boy was heaving and sweat left a slight sheen over his face and neck.

"That felt like it was longer than thirty seconds." Harry panted hunching over his elbows on his knees.

"I'm so sorry." Severus said his voice full of anguish.

"Oh, that's alright. Dumbledore told you teach me this, right?"

"That too, but that's not what I was talking about." The man stepped forward, and for the first time in months, not counting their accidental collision, he touch the boy. He rested both hands on his shoulders and dropped to his knees, so he could look Harry in his perfect green eyes. "Harry, I had it all wrong. I thought…I thought he had kissed you. And I got angry, but that's still no excuse for what I did. You should hate me, or be terrified of me at least."

For a long moment Harry didn't say anything, he was too lost in the physical contact and swimming black orbs. "I know…I should. And believe me it doesn't make any sense to me at all, why I don't. I forgive you, Severus."

The man's breath caught and his heart thudded in his chest wildly. Harry had not only called him by his first name but straight out said he was forgiven. The gaping hole in his chest seemed like a far off memory he hoped never to return again.

Unable to stop himself, not that he was trying too hard, Severus reached forward and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders. He was surprised to feel Harry return the hug. Their heartbeats pounded against each other, beating out a rhythmic melody.

"Harry," Snape said his voice haggard. "I don't believe you'll have to return to Little Whinging this summer."

"Really?" Harry asked excited. He pulled back a little ways to look into the man's face. "How? Why?"

"Because," Severus said matter-of-factly. "I'm going to kill your uncle."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on, don't trick me like that."

"I'm serious."

The green eyed boy smiled sweetly and moved his arms to hook behind Severus' neck. "Thank you for caring enough to jeopardize your future for me." Then, without any hesitation, Harry pressed his lips to man's.

_**A/N: **Alright-y! I hoped everyone enjoyed that as much as I did. For your information, this was chapter Nijuuichi! (21) Now a WARNING: in the following chapters there will be scenes depicted as extremely pornographic in nature. Involving a grown man and an underage boy. Okay enough of that,but seriously, in the next chapter and probably the ones after it, there will be sex, lots and lots of sex. So spend this valuable time preparing yourself, take your vitamins regularly as I'm sure you will suffer from multiple nose bleeds. Chapter Nijuuni! (22) coming to a computer-with-internet-access near you!_


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:**_ Welcome my valued readers! IT'S OFFICIAL! THIS STORY HAS FINALLY BEEN CALLED "EPIC"! [thank you very much, Chopsticks-The-Mighty] There's been a blizzard here, I live in the Texas Panhandle, and it's only just starting to melt. So that means I have school today. So instead of taking notes, I'm going to write the next chapter for you, my friends. WELCOME TO SNARRY PARADISE! Again a warning, do not read this if you are afraid of smut, are in a public place, or have the any chance of your mother walking into your bedroom and/or computer room. Seriously you don't want that to happen. Okay, let's get started. Oh yeah, this is chapter Nijuuni! (22)_

**WRAPPED IN YOUR ARMS**

Harry arched his body, pressing himself flush against his private tutor. He felt Severus' hands move, dipping into the curves of his lower back. The kiss deepened with the boy parting his lips, practically begging for the man to taste him. The man's tongue darted out to explore, reclaiming what used to belong to him. Harry moved his hands to tangle in inky black tresses, as their tongues danced together.

Severus' hands worked their way under the boy's shirt before they pulled apart for breath. Harry smiled deviously as his fingers hooked in the potion master's collar. "You're over dressed professor."

The man sighed, "Just when I thought you were going to behave."

"Am I not?"

"What's my name?" The man's expression turned daring.

"Mmm, Severus." The boy moaned and slid off the chair into the man's lap, his knees straddled the other's hips.

"See, you are capable of remembering." The man's hands moved down to rest comfortably on Harry's rump. He did have a nice rump.

"Shhh…" The boy pushed a slender finger against Snape's lips. "You'll ruin the moment."

"My apologies," he said pushing away Harry's hand. "If I'm over dressed, then so are you." his hands gripped Harry's hips, feeling his pelvic bone beneath soft skin. "Let's get this shirt off for starts." As his palms felt their way up the green-eyed boy's sides they pushed the large shirt out of the way, slowly revealing his navel and then the lines of his ribs.

Harry raised his arms allowing the man to pull his shirt completely off. "Your turn." he said once his head was free. He reached forward and started on the buttons.

"Now hold on." Severus said taking a hold of the boy's wrists keeping him from going further. "I didn't say I was done." The man smirked and released him.

Harry let his arms fall to his side and leaned back against the edge of the chair. The older man's large hands reached out and rubbed over his chest, his fingers pinching perk nipples. Severus' black eyes gaped at the boy's sinuous body. He then leaned forward and placed gentle kisses over Harry's collar bone.

As Harry's body shuddered, the man worked his way down his chest. He moaned loudly when he felt teeth clamp down on his right nipple. One of the man's hands snaked up and pinched the other pink nub, while his other worked the fastenings of Harry's pants. Harry was too lost in the feel of the man's mouth to notice.

However something he did notice was when Severus' hand wormed inside his pants to knead his groin. The boy moaned and arched into his touch. The potion master's mouth traveled back up, working over Harry's neck. The teen's breath quickened as he grew hard in the man's hand.

"Harry," the man said, his voice rough with sexual passion. "Could you say something in parseltongue?"

The boy smiled at the request. "[Severus…]" Harry pushed his professor back slightly so he could look him straight in the eyes. "[I love you.]"

The man growled before reclaiming Harry's lips. His hands found their way to the boy's backside. They squeezed as he lifted his little lover to sit on the edge of the chair. Severus practically devoured Harry as if he was addicted to the taste of him.

While they kissed the potion professor desperately tugged off Harry's pants. He tossed the offending thing out of the way, and then wrapped his arms around his student's torso.

"Mmm…" Harry pulled away, out of breath. "Severus, it's your turn now."

The man looked put out but dropped his arms and waited patiently. Harry smiled and leaned forward, his fingers hooked under the top button as his lips gently pressed to the tip of the man's large nose. "[I love you.]" he whispered.

"What does that mean?"

Harry lifted his finger to his lips and winked. "It's a secret." After a few minutes the boy had managed to completely unbutton Severus' shirt and peeled it from his body. He tossed it next to his own clothes. His hands moved down the man's chest and stomach, his fingers brushed lightly across his skin. Harry took charge of the zipper on Severus' pants, pulling it down to reveal a large bulge. "Can you give me a hand?"

The man stood up and pushed his pants down, and then kicked them too the side. Harry tucked his fingers under the waistband of his boxers and used them to pull the man back down to eye level. "[I love you.]" he said again in parseltongue before pressing his swollen lips to his teacher's. Even though he knew Severus couldn't understand what it meant, it still felt incredible to say it. There wasn't any way he would ever translate for the man; unless, of course, he said it first. He didn't want to scare him away, especially so soon.

Severus' hands were back to exploring, roaming over Harry's body, memorizing every curve. When they pulled away the man lightly pushed the boy back so that he was leaning against the back of the chair. Then he reached down and removed the teen's boxers, and pulled his legs until his hips hung off the edge of the seat. For a long moment the man just stared at Harry's naked body. Then he turned around and grabbed his wand off the counter. He cast a lubrication charm over his fingers then set his wand down on the floor beside the chair. He leaned forward and kissed under Harry's chin and down his neck as a slick finger pressed to the boy's entrance.

Harry moaned as the appendage was pushed inside him. It felt so good and he waited impatiently as the man stretched him. Slowly another digit wormed its way through the tight ring of muscles.

Severus placed gentle kisses over Harry's soft skin. He tenderly sucked on a section of the boy's collarbone causing the skin to darken. He scissored his fingers, instigating another heart-throbbing moan. He moved up the neck and sucked on another section of creamy skin as he pushed in a third finger. He felt Harry tense and held his fingers still while the boy's body relaxed against the intrusions. The man pulled back and lightly blew on the reddened flesh. His student shivered beneath him and his hands came up to grasp the man's upper arms. Severus began to thrust his fingers, slowly stretching Harry's entrance. He moved to another spot on Harry's neck and started to suck again. The boy let out a shuddering breath against Snape's ear. The man moaned sucking harder on the bit of neck he was latched to.

When Harry started grinding back on Severus' fingers that was when the man pulled his hand away and leaned back. The boy whimpered in protest at the loss, as his teacher eyed his work seductively. There were love bites covering the right side of the boy's neck and collarbone. Severus smirked and pushed his boxers down his thighs, revealing his girth to the lusty boy beneath him.

Harry moaned at the sight and reached out for him, extending his arms as if offering the professor an embrace. Severus growled deep in his chest as he leaned down and pressed his lips to the boy's. The green-eyed beauty's legs wrapped around the man's hips as he returned the fevered kiss.

Severus reached between them and guided his manhood to the boy's entrance. He pressed the head to the puckered hole and pulled back from the kiss. He pushed against the resistance, the head working past the tight ring of muscles. He groaned and humped hard shoving himself in farther. Harry winced, feeling the burn of being stretched even further.

"I'm sorry." Severus whispered, his voice rough. "I can't hold back anymore."

Harry smiled gently and nodded his head. It was okay, despite the pain he didn't want the man to stop either. He needed him, he needed the sensation of being filled.

The potion professor continued slowly, pushing in deeper with the boy's muscles constricting around him. Severus groaned loudly, his hands dropping to grip Harry's hips as he pushed deeper. He tossed his head back and gave a quick thrust, producing a whimper from the quivering lips of his little lover.

"Sorry." he said in a strained breath as he tried to restrain himself. He dropped his head, his inky hair falling in his eyes.

Harry shook his head and rubbed his palms over the man's pale chest. "It's okay, don't stop." he said, lust dripping from his voice.

Severus moved slow again, concentrating on keeping himself under control. He finally pushed all the way in to the base. He waited. Holding his body completely still, his breathing heavy, causing his chest to rise and fall with its labor.

Harry groaned at the thickness and started to writhe beneath the man. His green eyes blinked up into onyx orbs, "[Severus, I love you.]"

The man growled loudly and pulled back then thrust in quickly; all in one movement. Harry "eeped" and sucked in a gasp. The way the man reacted whenever he spoke parsletongue was purely amazing. Severus leaned forward and grabbed the back of the chair as he repeated the movements.

"Merlin, Harry, what does that mean?" His eyes pierced the boy's shield of ecstasy.

"I…I can't tell you." he whined between stabbing thrusts.

The man's body suddenly froze. For a long moment Harry just stared at him, waiting for him to say something. When it was clear he wasn't planning to, the boy's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What, why did you stop?"

"I'm not going to continue until you tell me." Harry shook his head, but before he could say anything Severus continued. "You've spoken in parsletongue before, but whatever you're saying this time is different. And it's driving me crazy. Sure, I like when you do, it turns me on like no other, but there's something specific you're saying this time."

Harry swallowing thickly and hesitated. "I…I'll tell you later."

Severus started to protest again, but Harry pressed his fingertips to his lips. "I promise…later."

The man let out a defeated sigh before pressing his lips to Harry's swollen ones. He slowly pulled his hips back, almost pulling himself completely out, before pushing slowly back in. The boy moaned as the organ reentered his body. After several more slow thrusts Severus started to pick up the pace until he finally reached the level were he was pistoning in and out of the boy.

One particularly hard thrust the boy beneath him twitched uncontrollably moaning so loudly he almost came right then. Severus smirked, "Well, well, did I find 'it'?"

Harry's eyes were closed and head tossed back, his breathing, quick and heavy. He nodded his head as his body involuntarily shuddered. Severus chuckled and thrust deep again, causing a half moan half whimper to escape the green-eyed boy's delectable lips. His legs twitched around the man's hips causing his own erection to jump inside the boy. He moaned loudly and started to repeat the motion, keeping his aim exact. Every thrust was responded by some sort of sound and uncontrollable body twitches.

One of Severus' hands danced down the boy's torso and wrapped around Harry's erection. The boy shook his head frantically, "N-no, I'm…I'll cum."

The man's responding chuckle was deep and throaty. "Probably not before I do." with that Severus' thrust came faster and harder, but more shallow. His hand pumped the boy's leaking length in time with his movements.

"Oooh!" Harry arched his frame, feeling the sensations taking over his body. He could feel his stomach tighten and reached up to wrap his arms around the man's shoulders. "Severus…ah…I…[I love you]."

"Aah!" The man roared as he came, spilling his seed deep inside his little lover. With his last thrusts, finishing himself off, Harry came. Severus could feel the warm liquid spill over his hand while he pumped, and heard the boy's cry of pleasure.

As they floated down from their climax they stared into each other's eyes and tried to catch their breath. Harry was the first to smile, instigating one from the professor. Severus placed quick short kisses over Harry's lips as he flashed his white teeth. "I'm so glad you've forgiven me." he said breathlessly as he buried his face in the bend of Harry's neck and shoulder.

"Yeah, me too." he closed his eyes and submersed himself in the embrace.

**A/N:**_ Alright! There you have it, chapter Nijuuni (22)! Yup so it was all sex. I do hope no one was caught reading this by someone who they would not appreciate leaning over their shoulder. If that has happened, sux to be you. Sorry it took so long for this one, hopefully it won't be such a long wait for chapter Nijuusan. (23)_


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:**_ Hello everyone! And welcome to the life and times of Harry Potter. Yeah I kill myself. Okay, so what was last chapter, nijuuni? (22) So this one will be Nijuusan. (23) Last chapter was kind of "HAWT" if I do say so myself. I know I had to take a cold shower, raise your hand if you did too. Alright, enough of this senseless chatter, let's get started._

**KISS-AND-TELL**

After that first session the man carried Harry to his private chambers and they repeated a few of the previous acts. This time in the comfort of the potion's professor's bed. They fell asleep for a short while before it was time to get ready for breakfast.

Severus gently kissed Harry goodbye at the door, "Remember what you promised?"

"Yes, later." Harry leaned up and kissed him one last time before turning around and running across the potion's classroom to the exit. The boy hurried to the Gryffindor tower so he could get dressed for the day. He hadn't had much sleep, first because of the nightmare filled night, and then the physical activity from earlier that morning, and he was sure he looked a mess.

He crawled through the portrait hole and dashed through the common room. He took the stairs two at a time to the boy's dorm. A few of his friends were starting to rouse from their sleep. He unconsciously looked over to the bed beside his, and saw that it was neatly made and the trunk, that used to sit at the foot, had vanished.

"How's Ron?" Neville sat on the edge of his bed, his feet lightly brushing the floor.

Harry swallowed, "Fine, Mr. Weasley was found in time. He should be alright."

"That's good." Neville nodded and smiled.

"Do you know when they'll be back?" Dean asked from his place in front of his trunk.

Harry shook his head, "They shouldn't be gone for too long. They just need to be with their parents right now." Everyone who was listening nodded.

Harry turned to head to the bathroom when Seamus crawled out of bed. "Hey, what's that on yer neck 'arry?"

"Huh?" Harry turned around in time to see Dean smack his friend on the shoulder.

The dark-skinned boy smiled sheepishly, "Well, we weren't going to say anything. But…"

"Who's the lucky girl?" Seamus practically shouted, causing a few of sleeping to stir.

Harry's eyes widened and his hand went reflexively to cover his neck. "Oh, uhh…"

"Leave him alone guys. Let him take a shower." Neville said trying to push through his embarrassment to stand up for his friend.

"Right, on with you then." said Dean smiling and turning back to his trunk.

Harry smiled at Neville and then hurried to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and then walked to the mirror. He turned his head and pulled back his collar. There were hickeys all up and down the one side of his neck.

"I'm going to kill him." he said to himself before returning to the task at hand. He peeled his clothes off and started the water in the shower. After he was squeaky clean he wrapped a towel around himself and went back out to the dorm. He opened his trunk and pulled out a change of clothes. He got dressed quickly and then hurried down to the common room, leaving his hair dripping wet.

Hermione was sitting on the couch waiting for him, when he climbed down the stairwell. She stood when she saw her friend and spoke first. "Ginny told me what happened before she left. How were the others?"

"They're okay. And Mr. Weasley will be fine, they'll be gone for a while though." He twisted his body trying to hide his neck from the ever perceptive bushy-haired girl.

"Yeah, I imagine." her expression changed slowly as she noticed his obvious movements. Harry's eyes darted away as he started to whistle, nonchalantly. A smile stretched over Hermione's face, her large teeth gleaming in the light. "Well, well. What do we have here?" She reached up and gently turned the boy's head so she could see his neck more clearly. She whistled dramatically, "Wow, you must have confessed."

Harry swallowed thickly, "Sort of."

"'Sort of'? What do you mean?"

"Well I told him in parsletongue." Harry scratched his neck keeping his eyes from the girl's face.

"I take it he doesn't speak snake."

The boy shook his head and Hermione sighed loudly. "Words, if never said, are meaningless. You have to tell him. In English."

Harry pouted like child being scolded by a parent, and nodded. "Alright," she said motherly. "Let's go to breakfast. And you can tell me all the dirty details."

"Hermione," Harry said a touch of shock in his voice. "I'm surprised at you. You know a gentleman never kisses and tells."

"Oh come on," he hooked her arm in his and flapped her spare hand. "I'm your, 'gal-pal', and girlfriends tell each other everything." she wiggled her eyebrows and laughed.

"Okay, okay. But only if you swear never to do _that_ again." he said pointing at her limp hand. Harry pulled himself free and they left the Gryffindor tower together. As they walked Harry talked quietly telling her, in as little detail as she would allow, what exactly happened to cause those lovely markings down his neck.

"Merlin," she said with starry eyes. "That's so sweet. But I thought you were having private studies with Professor Snape. Isn't he teaching you Occulumency?"

"Oh, well yeah…but, uh…" Harry sputtered but was saved when a blonde haired girl danced over to the two.

"Hello, Harry." Luna said with her airy voice. "Hello, Hermione. I heard something rather frightful about Ron's father. Is everything alright?" she asked joining the two as they walked to the Great Hall.

"Oh yes, he'll be fine. Professor Dumbledore sent word just in time, and he's expected to make a full recovery." Harry was grateful for the distraction and turned his full attention to the girl. But he knew if he wasn't careful Hermione would catch on, quick.

"About when do you think the Weasley siblings will return, do you think?" she folded her hands delicately in front of her as she spoke.

"Well it shouldn't be too long, they just really need to spend this time with together, until their father is well enough for them to come back."

"Yes it's very good that they can go home and be together."

"Luna, you're in Ravenclaw, right?"

"Yes." she smiled sweetly.

"Are you friends with Cho?"

"We've spoken before, but we're not very close. Why the interest in Ms. Chang?"

"Well I was worried about how she was doing."

"Oh, yes. Since poor Cedric last year. Well, she's sad, but I think she's handling it very well."

"That's good." Harry nodded. Just in time they walked through the doors to the crowded hall. There was a roar of conversation as students filed in or were already seated waiting for the meal to start.

Luna waved goodbye as she left to go to her table. They shuffled between people on their way to their own seats. When they sat down Seamus and Dean were quick to find spots across the table from them.

"Heya Harry." said Seamus with his goofy smile. "Hermione."

"Hello Seamus." Hermione said settling in her seat.

"Did you get it out of him?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"Who's the girl?" Dean rolled his eyes as his friend pointed to Harry's neck.

"Sorry Harry, he won't shut up about it."

Harry chuckled, "It's alright. I'm not going to say anyway."

"Awe come on." Seamus groaned leaning forward. "I bet Hermione knows." he turned to face the curly-haired girl.

"Nope," she said with a smirk. "He won't tell me either."

"Well if it's that big of a secret she must be either really ugly, and you don't want anybody to know. Or she's really hot and _she_ doesn't want anybody to know." Seamus said with a laugh. "I'm betting on option 'B'."

"Ha, ha." Harry said sarcastically as the food appeared in front of the group.

"Hey, Harry, about the other day." Seamus started his eyes on his food. "I'm sorry. I didn't believe you, until last night. I was angry with you because my mom almost didn't let me come to school this year."

"Because of last year?" Hermione asked taking a bite of her biscuit.

"Yeah." the Irish boy nodded. "I'm sorry Harry. You're a good friend and I don't want to loose that."

Harry smiled. "That's alright, but why only last night did you believe me?"

"Because, you were screaming and sweating. We couldn't wake you up. Poor Ron got kicked in the chest with all your thrashing. It was like you were possessed." Seamus' expression was sympathetic as he spoke. Harry was silent as images of his nightmare flooded his mind. "I'm sorry." he said again.

"It's okay." the group fell silent as they ate and Harry found himself looking up at the teacher's table again. Severus was in deep conversation with Professor Dumbledore casting quick glances his way. The boy smiled softly and turned back to his food. Every once in a while, all throughout breakfast, somebody would walk over to Harry ask him about one or all of the Weasleys. It seemed that there was a lot of people who were worried for the family. That made Harry feel good, to know that more than just himself and Hermione, cared for the clan of red heads.

After breakfast they went to class where they had their first taste of Dolores Umbridge.

**A/N:**_ Hello friends, Happy Valentines day! That was chapter Nijuusan! (23) hope you liked it, sorry for the lack of smex, but it is time to get on with the plot line. -laughs at self- yeah okay, well it is time to show a little more of the background story. So on to DADA! Stay tuned for chapter Nijuuyon, (24). Peace out._


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:**_ Welcome to chapter Nijuuyon! (24) I actually just finished typing the last chapter so while I'm in the zone I'm just gonna dive right into the next. So here we go._

**DOLORES UMBRIDGE**

The students filed into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Standing in front of her desk was Madam Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge, wearing a very pink dress with matching jewelry and a smile. She giggled as everyone took their seats eyeing her warily.

"Good morning students." she chirped with her wind chime-like voice. "You're previous study in this subject has been disturbingly lax." she flicked her wand and three large stacks of text books on her desk, floated down the isles of desks. They dispersed themselves accordingly, plopping in front of each student.

Hermione flipped through her book and then raised her hand to speak. "Mm, yes?" the professor gave the girl the floor.

"There's no spells in here." she said softly lowering her hand.

"Well, I can't imagine why you'd need them."

"We're going to use magic?" spoke a boy from the other side of the room.

"You'll be learning in a secure and safe environment."

"Well what's the point in that? If we're being attacked we're not going to be safe." Harry chided raising his voice slightly.

The woman spun around to face to boy, "And who do you think would want to attack children, like yourself?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe, Lord Voldemort." a hiss resonated from the classroom at the sound of the Dark Lord's name.

The woman's face fell dramatically. "Now, let me explain something." she slowly turned to address the rest of the class. "You have been told that a certain dark wizard has returned. This is a lie."

"It's not a lie! I saw him, I fought him."

"Students will raise their hand to speak in my classroom."

"Oh, so according to you Cedric Diggory died of his own accord."

"Cedric Diggory was a tragic accident."

Harry cast a quick glance in Cho's direction as the woman spoke. "It was no accident, it was murder! Voldemort killed him! You must know that."

"Detention! Mr. Potter." the woman shouted causing every eye to aim at her.

"Excuse me, Miss, but I have tutoring with Professor Snape every evening and weekend."

"Well I'm sure it'll be expectable for you to miss one of these tutoring sessions, tonight directly after dinner, in my office." she attempted to recover her composer and giggled.

The rest of class was both uneventful and boring. Nobody else said a word but occasionally Harry could feel the gaze of several eyes on his back. When the class was finished they headed for Care For Magical Creatures class, taught by their good friend, Hagrid.

Harry was certainly in a mood after the showdown earlier, and why wouldn't he be? That insufferable woman had taken away his precious time with Severus. Gryffindors were not scheduled to have potions class today, so Harry was trying to find an opportunity to talk with the man before the evening meal.

By the time lunch rolled around the boy was exhausted. He hadn't slept very well, for starts, then the occulumency lesson, then the sex, and now the stress that that evil woman had brought on. Harry was ready to pull his hair out when he sat down at the Gryffindor table. He looked up at the teacher's table and saw Severus staring intensely in his direction. After a long moment the man stood up and climbed down the stairs. He walked down the isle between Gryffindor table and Ravenclaw table. He paused momentarily behind the boy and then continued to leave the Great Hall.

"Hey guys," said Harry talking to Hermione and the others. "I'm not very hungry anyway. I'll see you in class." before anyone could say anything he jumped up and followed after the potion's professor. He ran down the hall and pushed past the last of students as the doors closed behind him.

There was no one in the entry hall, everyone was in the Great Hall. Harry looked around trying to find the man. "Professor Snape!"

"How many times do I tell you?" the man's deep voice floated from behind the boy. Harry spun around and saw his silhouette in the shadows of an alcove. "Call me Severus when we're alone."

Harry smirked, "Well I wasn't sure if we were alone, Severus."

Harry heard the man's dark chuckle and the soft flutter of butterfly wings erupted in his stomach. "I've heard, that you've been misbehaving."

"Yeah about that," The boy scratched the back of his neck. "The woman was practically attacking me in front of everyone. She even had the nerve to say that Cedric's death was an accident." He paused and sighed. "I might've gotten a little angry. And then she acted like she had more authority then you, so she could issue me a detention despite my lessons, and-"

"She does have more authority, Harry. She's part of the Ministry."

"But, she's a professor now." Harry stepped forward into the shadows of the alcove. Severus shuffled around to let the boy in.

"Only because the Minister thinks Dumbledore is after his job."

Harry suddenly remembered the conversation after the meeting of the Order. "This again? So…he sent Ms. Pink to spy on us?"

Severus nodded and they were silent for a long moment. Harry stared off into space while he was thinking but was jogged out of his fog by strong arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders. Severus was standing behind the boy and now had him in his arms. He leaned his head over Harry's as he looked up at him. "Let's have lunch together. And you can tell me what you were saying last night. Or I guess this morning."

"Eh…it's really nothing." The boy tried to dodge the subject. "Lunch sounds great, but we should hurry I have herbology soon."

"Harry…" Severus' voice was deep and raspy. He quickly turned the boy around, to face him, and then shoved him against the wall. The man now had his arm pressed to the stone above Harry's head, his knee pressed between his legs, his free hand lightly touching his waist, and his lips a whisper away from Harry's own. "You promised."

"I know…later." Harry's hands felt their way up the man's chest and rested on his shoulders.

"How much later?"

"Eh…I don't know. Please just wait until I'm ready."

"I don't understand. Is what you're saying that hard to tell me?" His voice was now a whisper and he leaned back as if he was changing his mind about kissing the boy.

"You have no idea." Harry shook his head in desperation. "Please…Severus, kiss me."

The man smiled and let out a sigh. "What am I going to do with you?" he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the boy's.

Harry threw himself into the kiss, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and arching his body.

All of a sudden the sound of footsteps echoed off the stone walls. Severus quickly pulled himself away and spun around, shielding Harry from anybody who might see him. Harry reached up and grabbed the man's cloak, pressing his forehead to Severus' back.

"Ah, Madame Umbridge!" the familiar voice of the caretaker echoed off the walls.

"Oh," came the cheery wind chime voice of Dolores Umbridge. "Hello there Argus."

"Madame Umbridge, I was wondering if you were free this evening. Perhaps we could arrange a romantic evening."

Harry blanched and had to cover his mouth to keep from vomiting.

"Oh, my dear Argus, I'm afraid I have a detention with the stubborn Mr. Potter. Perhaps we could reschedule?"

"Potter, you say? Oh, that kid's been causing trouble since his first year. I thought he was going to be expelled."

"He was supposed to be, but Albus stepped in and made excuses for the little devil."

"The headmaster? Well he always did have a soft spot for Potter."

"Mm, you don't say." Their voices faded in the distance as they walked away.

Severus and Harry weren't caught this time, but it made the boy wonder when they would. Their secret couldn't last forever, but it had to last at least until he graduated. "That insufferable hag!" Severus growled as he spun around. "Come on, let's get something to eat."

**A/N: **_Tada! Kind of short I know, but I promise sex next chapter to make up for it. This was chapter Nijuuyon! (24) stay tuned for Nijuugo. (25) Peace out friends. Don't forget to review._


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** _Hey there everyone! I know it's been a super long time since my last update. I apologize, first it was school and now I've managed to land myself all the way in the Rockies to work at a resort for the summer. Woo! Okay, so enough about me, you guys are waiting very patiently for chapter Nijuugo (25) so this is for you. My loyal readers. _

**LUNCH WITH SEVERUS**

Together Severus and Harry made their way to the professor's private chambers. Waiting for them on the table in front of the fireplace was a small version of today's lunch. "How did they manage that?" Harry wondered, referring to the house elves.

"The walls have ears." Severus said moving further into the room.

"You mean they overheard us?" the boy looked up feeling concerned.

"Probably…" the man leaned forward and picked up a small piece of paper with some scribbling on it. "What do you suppose this is?"

Harry stepped forward and looked over the paper. "Dobby."

"Oh…" Severus handed the paper to his student and took a seat at the table.

Harry stuffed the paper into his pocket and took his own seat across from his lover. Together they ate in relative silence. And the second Harry was finished with lunch Severus stood and moved to stand behind the sitting boy. He leaned forward and ran his hands over the boy's chest. One gliding up and over his neck to tilt his head back so the man could press his lips to the other's.

As they kissed the dark haired man's fingers worked the buttons of Harry's shirt, revealing smooth skin beneath the soft fabric. His hand wormed its way under to press against that creamy skin.

"Severus…" Harry breathed as they broke away. "[I love you]." the boy rasped in parseltongue.

"That sounds a lot like what you said last night. When are you going to tell me what it means?" Severus said his body shaking from the intense pleasure the words caused him.

"I told you…later." Harry smiled. He moved to turn in his seat and crawl up on his knees so he could kiss the man properly.

Severus wrapped his arms around the boy's small frame and crushed him to his chest. The back of the chair was blocking their hips, and that frustrated the teacher. They pulled apart and he led Harry to the couch. The man sat down and smirked up at his young lover. "Can you manage?" he asked quirking an eyebrow.

Harry looked a little nervous before leaning forward, balancing himself by putting his hands on the back of the couch, on either side of the man's head. He brought his lips so close to Severus' without actually kissing him while he crawled forward, straddling his hips. The man's hands came up to rest on Harry's hips, feeling the boy's muscles ripple beneath them as he settled himself. He still had his pants on and his shirt was hanging off his shoulders. There wasn't and words to describe how sexy the boy looked to him at that moment. "Harry…" he groaned, as his own pants started to feel too constricting.

"Shhh…[be patient my love…you'll get what you want]." Once Harry was in a comfortable position, he sat back and moved his hands over the man's chest, not bothering with trying to undo it this time. He went straight to his professor's belt, working quickly to unfasten it.

Severus gave a help hand, and lifted his hips up, causing himself to thrust up against Harry's growing arousal. He pushed his pants, and underwear, passed his hips quickly and then kicked them to the side.

Harry smiled down at his lover's eagerness. He crawled off, and chuckled at answering whimper from the potion master. "We can't very well do this with _my _pants on." Harry's hands went to undo his belt and then he let the pants fall to the floor around his ankles, before kicking them to the side with Severus'. He could see how excited his lover was, and that made him feel a little proud of himself.

He stepped forward and crawled on top of Severus, once again straddling his hips. Only this time it was skin on skin. And what wonderful friction it was. Harry moaned when he felt Severus' length slide between his cheeks, the head rubbing over his entrance. "Severus…do you mind?"

"Of course not." the man replied his wand already in his hand. He cast the ever useful lubrication charm over his fingers and reached behind Harry to push his digits inside the boy. He groaned at the tightness and warmth around his fingers. It was all he could do to keep from just slamming into him right then. "Merlin, Harry."

"Ngh…" Harry leaned forward and dropped his head to rest on the man's shoulder as he panted. every time the man touched him, it was like little bolts of electricity. It felt so amazing to be here with him. At that moment he didn't care if anyone found out about them. He was just happy for the small moments like these, and the amazing electricity between them.

After a few more minutes of preparing his lover Severus pulled his hand away and brought both of them to rest on Harry's hips again. "Are you ready?" he asked his voice deep and lusty.

"Yes." Harry answered, mentally preparing himself as he looked down into Severus' onyx orbs.

Slowly the man brought his student's hips down to engulf his craving member. Severus groaned at the tightness and Harry responded with a whimper of his own.

It felt so good and wonderful to be filled by the man, warming him entirely from the inside out. "[I love you]."

Severus growled low and deep, before bucking up into the boy. He reached up and wrapped his arms around Harry's torso, pulling him close as his hips moved of their own accord.

"Aaah…Severus, calm down…" Harry whimpered.

"I can't help it." the man moaned roughly. "You drive me crazy when you say that." he panted as he tried to control his body. "please tell me…what it means."

Harry's expression softened and his hands came up to cup the man's face gently. "[I love you]." he whispered. "Tomorrow…if you behave."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black if I've ever heard it." Severus smirked, moving his hands up his lover's sides, pushing the shirt up. He guided Harry to move up slowly, causing the man to nearly pull out all the way. Then he gently pushed him back down, working him into a rhythm, then giving the control over to Harry.

"Where's Harry at?" Ron asked as he and Hermione stepped into the greenhouse and noticed their friend was not already there.

"He said he wasn't hungry. Maybe he got sick." the bushy-haired girl said as she moved to her spot and set her bag beneath the table. "Let's just wait a little while, I'm sure he'll show up."

"I hope he's not sick." the red head said. "He has that detention with Umbridge tonight."

"What a horrid woman." Hermione commented, mostly to herself. She hadn't known somebody else had come in after them.

"Oh, I don't know." came a familiar voice from the doorway. "I kind of like her."

The two looked up surprised and then glared. Draco was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

"Well nobody asked you Malfoy." Ron growled.

"Potter's not here, then?" Draco asked, ignoring the red head.

"No, he left at lunch and we don't know where he is now." Hermione said a bit of venom in her voice.

"What do you want Malfoy? You don't have Herbology now."

"Hm…I was hoping to have a few words with the golden child. When you see him, tell him I need to talk to him." the blond said before turning and making his leave, without giving them the chance to respond.

"That was weird." Ron said dropping his bag to the floor and nudging it under the table with the toe of his shoe.

Hermione stared after Malfoy, a contemplating expression on her face. Not Malfoy…certainly not. But Harry had acted like she wouldn't approve of his relationship. And if it was Draco she most definitely would not. But it couldn't be him…but then again…the blond had come here specifically in search of Harry and without his goons following behind him. But it just couldn't be…could it?

**A/N:**_ Hey everyone! I hope you liked this. I know I didn't "complete" the sex scene, but I'm sure you all are smart enough to understand. Anyway, I hope you like this pleasant little twist involving Hermione trying to use her intellectual skills to figure out who Harry is seeing. Please review! And stay tuned for Nijuuroku (26)._


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: **_Hi everyone! I promised to jump right into the next chapter, and so I have! Here is chapter Nijuuroku (26) please review! Also I'd like to congratulate George2Bob1_ _for posting the 200__th__ review! Yay! Thank you very much. _

**DETENTION WITH MS. PINK**

"What time is it?" Harry asked. He was laying on the couch next to his professor, with his head on his chest, eyes drooping closed from mild exhaustion.

Severus had his arm wrapped around the boy, his hand angling up to toy with a lock of his lover's hair. "Mm…" He turned his head to look up at the clock on the mantle. "five minutes til one." he said smoothly.

"What?" Harry sat up quickly and looked at clock himself. "Shit! Herbology class is almost over!" He jumped up and grabbed his clothes from the floor, pulling his pants on frantically.

Severus sat up and smiled as he watched the boy in his fit of hysteria. "Harry, I'll write you a pass, asking for you to be excused. Saying something about how it's your fault for getting a detention tonight so we had to change our tutoring session to lunch." the man suggested easily.

"I thought you weren't going to treat me any differently then your other students, just because we're together." The boy challenged. It wasn't that he was ungrateful for the help, he just didn't want to be favored.

"I am an understanding man, Harry." Severus said with a quirk of his eyebrow. "You did say earlier that you had class, and it was my fault for keeping you. And of course I'm treating you differently then I would my other students. Do you think I go around and sleep with all of them?"

Harry blushed slightly. "Well I hope not." he finished fastening his belt and then went to buttoning his shirt.

Severus rose to his feet and stepped close to the boy. His hands went out to cover the other's and then he leaned down and pressed his lips to Harry's. "You're the only one I've ever met in my entire life that's made me feel this way." he whispered against those delicious lips.

"Severus…I…" Harry could feel the emotions welling up almost to bursting point. "I…"

"Yes?" the man urged. He felt nervous and almost expecting the boy to say what he had almost said last night. He had a pretty good idea what it might be. But he wasn't going to believe anything until Harry actually said those three words. The only problem was, did he love the boy? Sure he cared very much about him. And was easily thrown into jealousy, but he mostly wanted to see his lover happy. Did that mean he was in love with him? He had talked a little bit about this with Dumbledore, but still didn't know for sure. He knew he'd do just about anything for him. And he knew the trials that lay ahead of both of them. And after knowing what would have to take place, he could still himself with Harry.

"I have to go to class." Harry said with a friendly smile as he stepped back to button his shirt and finish getting dressed.

"What? Oh…right. I'll just write up that pass for you." the man said feeling a little disappointed. What would he do if Harry told him he loved him? How would he handle that? What would he say in return? No doubt if the boy actually every did say that, he'd be expecting Severus to say it back. But could he?

He moved over to a small desk and pulled out a piece of parchment to write on. As he scribbled over the paper Harry walked over completely dressed again. "You should probably put your pants on before you leave here." the boy smiled as his eyes moved over Severus' nearly naked body.

The potion's professor looked up and gave a small, half smile. "Oh I don't know, I kind of like the breezy feeling." he held out the pass as he smirked at his lover.

Harry laughed and took the paper. "Well, what if I don't like the fact that other people can see what's mine?"

"Oh? And what part of me belongs to you?" Severus inquired with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Oh, alright. Then I guess nothing of me belongs to you." Harry said with a nod. "I'll just go share with everyone."

Severus' face fell dramatically. "I see your point." He stepped around the desk and reached up to pull Harry close to him. One hand on the back of the boy's neck as the other arm snaked around his waist. "All of you, belongs to me." he said in a rough voice.

"I suppose it's a fair trade, so long as all of you belongs to me."

"It's a deal." with that he claimed Harry's lips with his own in a quick and passionate kiss. "Now hurry to class." he said as he released his lover and went over to pick up his clothes from the floor.

"Yes sir…professor." Harry said with a grin before turning and making his leave.

Severus' head shot up when the boy said 'professor' and shot him a playful glare.

Harry hurried and found his way to the greenhouse, just as the lesson was at its end.

"Mr. Potter?" Ms. Sprout asked surprised as he entered. Every eye in the room was aimed at him.

"Uh…yeah, sorry ma'm. Professor Snape needed to talk with me and it lasted a bit longer than expected. I have a pass, though I'm not sure what good it'd do now." Harry flashed a polite smile as he crossed the room and handed the parchment to the woman.

She unfolded it and read it carefully. "This is rather surprising." she said folding it and stuffing it in her pocket. "This must be the first pass that man's ever written in his whole career." she chuckled. "That must have been quite the discussion."

"Eh…" Harry reached up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Well take your place, but class is over."

"Yes ma'm, thank you." the boy moved and went to stand beside his friends.

"Harry." Ron said leaning around Hermione to whisper to his friend. "Malfoy came look'n for you. Said he needed to talk to you. But Crabbe and Goyle weren't with him. What does he need to talk to you about?"

"Well I don't know, Ron. You only just told me." Harry laughed.

"Right, well I thought you might have an idea." the red head said.

"Perhaps it's something that he can't say." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Can't say? What can't he tell us?" Ron asked his eyebrows knitting together.

"No, I really have no idea why he would want to talk to me." Harry said again.

After they finished with their classes and dinner Harry made his somber way to the DADA classroom. He didn't see Ms. Pink there so he figured she must be waiting for him in her office. He climbed up the stairs and lightly knocked on her door.

"Enter." he heard a small wind chime like voice dulled from the door between them.

Harry turned the knob and stepped into the room hesitantly. The walls were a sickly shade of pink and there were pictures of cats every where. The whole room made the boy want to vomit.

"Harry, my dear, come in and take a seat." she said in a cheery tone as if she hadn't been expecting him. "You're going to be writing lines for me today." she said as her student took a seat in a small desk he found in the corner of the room. He bent down to grab his quill and parchment from his bag but he was interrupted by Ms. Umbridge. "No, we're going to be using a rather special quill of mine." she piped as he handed him a worn out looking quill. She laid out a few sheets of parchment on the desk in front of Harry with a smile.

"What do you want me to write?" he asked looking up her a little confused.

"How about…'I shall not tell lies'." the woman said as she folded her hands delicately in front of her.

"How much?" Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, let's say until the message sinks in." she smiled at him with a small undertone of hatred.

Harry let out a sigh before picking up the quill. "Um…you haven't given me any ink."

"Oh you won't be needing any."

"Okay…" Harry put the dry tip to the paper and pulled it across slowly. He was surprised to see a thick red line in its wake. "Hm." he continued writing out the first sentence, but his other hand was beginning to burn slightly. He was able to ignore it going on to the second sentence. But once he reached the third it was beginning to be a real problem. He looked down at the top of his hand. Slowly scratching its way into his skin was the sentence, 'I shall not tell lies'. he grimaced in pain and looked up at the professor.

"That's right." she said stepping closer to him. "You understand now, don't you?"

"I understand you're crazy." he said rubbing his bleeding hand.

Umbridge's face fell dramatically. "Why don't you go ahead and fill up those three papers?" she said with a hint of venom coating her otherwise cheery voice.

"Front and back?" Harry asked picking up the quill again.

**A/N:**_ hey there! I'm getting to this as fast as I can. I've recently become pretty ill, I had to go to the emergency room a while ago, but I'll get everything sorted out. I was wondering if anybody would be interested in a Snarry rp with me. I would have to play Harry, I'm sorry I'm just horrible at playing semes (guy on top) okay if you are send me a private message. And stay tuned for chapter Nijuunana (27)._


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:**_ hey guys, I've gotten a few offers for rps, and I'm really looking forward to starting them with all of you. And I might even take a few ideas from our rps and use them in my story, with your permission of course. Alright, this is chapter Nijuunana (27). In the last chapter I kind of left us off at a bad place. Well I'm going to start this at a fast forward. But the wound would just get deeper the more he wrote with the quill, not all over, as I am lead to believe that some of you might think. Okay, here we go._

**ALONE**

Harry could feel the other eyes on him as he sat in the Gryffindor common room. It was very clear that nobody believed him when he said Voldemort was back. They all thought he was just trying to attract attention to himself. And Harry could understand their reasoning, considering his history over the years. And after Cedric's death he didn't want anybody else getting hurt because of this impending war. He had already started to close himself off from Ron and Hermione, but he knew that they could sense something was up. And he never talked to Severus about any of this in the first place. It was true he loved the man with all his heart, and that was why he couldn't chance bringing him into his troubles.

Cedric had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But if it was Harry who had "won" the Triwizard tournament, he wondered if he would've died in that graveyard. And then what would happen? Would Voldemort reign supreme? Was that horrible world still a possibility? What if Harry wasn't strong enough to defeat the dark lord? How would the wizarding world handle it? So much pressure was on him, from people who didn't even believe him.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice broke through his reverie.

He looked up to see his friend sitting beside him and Ron on his other side. He flashed a haphazard smile at them and went back to staring at the book in his hands.

"Harry, are you alright?" she asked, a worried expression on her face.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he asked his tone a little stand offish.

"What about Umbridge's detention? How did that go?" Ron asked.

"Uh…it was okay. She had me write lines."

"Pathetic." the ginger haired boy chortled. "What did she have you write?"

"'I shall not tell lies.' like a hundred times."

"Harry, what's happened to your hand?" Hermione asked as she spotted the bandaged hand.

"Nothing." he answered too quickly. "It was just an accident."

Hermione reached out and took his wrist firmly, slowly unwrapping the bandage. She gasped and dropped the wrapping when she saw the wound. Carved into his skin were the words, 'I shall not tell lies'. "Harry, you have to tell somebody."

"No I don't." he said quickly grabbing the bandages. "Besides, it'd only make things worse."

"What? How would it make things worse?" the girl said desperately.

"You wouldn't understand." Harry huffed, closing his book and standing up. He made his way quickly to his dorm room and got dressed for bed. Crawling under his covers and drawing the curtains closed. For a long while he was lost in thought as he stared down at his hand. He had so much to do.

It was the weekend now and Severus hadn't spoken to the boy since yesterday's lunch. It was odd that he missed him so much. Thankfully he had another tutoring session with him today after the noon meal. This time he'd actually teach him, instead of…He'd be a teacher today, he swore to himself. The man woke up a tad earlier then he normally did and decided he didn't want to stay in his rooms; as was his usual.

He decided to take a walk as the sun was rising and do some serious thinking about his lover and their definite lack of a future together. As he stepped out into the morning mist he pulled his cloak tight around his chest, his breath turning into fog and floating away. He looked up and saw a few tiny snowflakes drifting to the ground only to melt on contact. It wasn't quite cold enough for them to stick, yet. It was then that he saw Harry walking down the path from Hagrid's hut.

The half giant hadn't been present all year. It was Severus' understanding that Dumbledore had sent him on a mission of sorts, and should be back after Christmas break.

No doubt Harry missed his friend, but why was he awake so early? Severus watched as Harry wandered down the small hill and walked along the forest's edge, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Something caught his attention and he looked up, as if following a bird's path, his head turned and then looked over the tree tops. After a few minutes Severus watched as Harry stepped into the forest, disappearing into the shadows.

The man quickened his pace and went to follow him. He heard a soft voice blow through the trees as he tried to find where Harry had gotten to.

"…that He-who-must-not-be-named is back, and the ministry and prophet are conspiring against you and Dumbledore."

"Thanks…" he heard Harry's voice answer. "Seems you're about the only ones who do." He followed the voice and saw a silvery-blond haired girl standing next to Harry with no shoes or socks on.

"I don't think that's true." she said as she bent down and rolled an apple a short distance ahead of them. "but I suppose that's how he wants you to feel."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked looking at the girl with confusion.

"Well, if I were you-know-who, I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else. Cause if it's just you alone, you're not as much of a threat." they smiled at each other and she reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of raw meat, then threw it to where the apple had landed.

He guessed that the blond must be Lovegood. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Lovegood. I don't think you're allowed in the 'forbidden' forest." Snape said as he stepped closer.

"Severus." Harry said surprised and turned around to smile at the man.

Snape flashed the boy a look when he heard his first name. If Harry was concerned about getting caught, he had to be more careful.

Luna looked up at Harry with a soft smile when he said the teacher's first name. "Good morning Professor Snape." she said pleasantly. "Please forgive us, we were just tending to the Pestrals."

"Oh, that's what you're doing. I was wondering why you were throwing apples and raw meat at nothing. Very well, but you can't stay here any longer." the man said looking past them and trying to see the creatures he knew he couldn't.

"Yes sir professor." Harry said taking a few steps. Luna following closely.

"Ms. Lovegood, what's become of your shoes?" Severus asked looking down his nose at the girl.

"The Nargals have taken them." she said simply before turning and skipping ahead of the two.

"Nargals?"

"I don't know." Harry whispered with a shake of his head.

Luna stopped after a short while and looked back at the two.

"Go ahead Ms. Lovegood," Severus said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I need to speak to Mr. Potter about something."

The blond smiled and gave a small wave to her friend before turning and leaving the two.

When Snape was sure she was a safe distance away he turned back to his lover. "Harry…" He said as he stepped closer to the boy. He reached up and tilted his head up by the chin. "You have to be more careful. I don't get it. When we're alone I have to remind you to call me Severus."

Harry smiled at the contact. "I'm sorry." he said. "It just slipped." he reached up and took the man's hand. Instantly Severus' face changed.

"What's wrong with your hand?" he asked pulling it closer and working the wrappings.

"It's nothing." Harry said trying to pull his hand free. "It doesn't matter."

Severus froze when he saw the words, the bandages clinched in his fist. "It doesn't matter?" He asked his voice tainted with anger. "Who did this?" Harry turned his face away, and stopped struggling. It was then that the man remembered the detention his lover had to attend last night. "Umbridge." it was more of a statement, answering his own question.

They stood there in silence for a long moment before the man pulled out his wand and lightly tapped Harry's hand. He enunciated a fast healing charm and the wound turned into a scar. "There. Does it still hurt?"

"No…thank you." Harry rubbed his newly healed hand and smiled softly up at his lover. "Severus, I'm sorry."

"Why? This is her doing, and I won't let her hurt you again. I'll see to it she unable to breath without assistance." Severus growled, his hands clenched tight at his sides.

Harry chuckled at the image. He realized that this face used to scare him to no other. But now it made him feel warm and protected, somehow. "Please don't do anything to jeopardize your job. Because then I wouldn't get to see you as often as I'd like."

"Oh, I'll just have a little chat with her." Severus said, smiling down Harry. There was a hint of mischief and foul play behind it, though. "Don't be surprised if she disappears." he added as an after thought.

Harry laughed then and the man wrapped his arms, loosely, around the boy's body. "You promised you'd tell me today."

Harry was silent for a moment. "If you behaved yourself. Remember?"

"I remember, but haven't I done just that?" He asked leaning closer, ink black eyes locked with Harry's.

"So far, but weren't you just saying something about making Umbridge disappear? Or putting her in a state to where she would need assistance to breath?"

"Well…I haven't acted on it."

"No, but I'm not sure you wouldn't." Harry smiled.

"What if I promise?"

"Promise what?"

"Not to hurt the hag." Severus said as if that was obvious.

"hmm…well…go ahead and promise and we'll see." the boy said with a wink.

The man let out a breath and rolled his eyes. "Fine, I promise not to hurt the hag."

"There's a good boy." Harry said before reaching up and patting the man's head. He laughed at the responding glare. "[I love you Severus.]" he said in parsletongue.

Instantly the man's grip tightened around Harry's body and his mouth closed over the boy's, before lifting him up and pressing his back against a nearby tree. The kiss quickly heated up in a desperate and passionate expression.

Harry was taken by surprise and pushed his lover back so he could breath. "Severus, calm down." he panted.

"I can't, you have to tell me. What does it mean?" the man said his lips close to Harry's ear as he pressed his body against his smaller lover, sandwiching him between the man and the tree.

"It means…I love you." Harry said quickly, before he could talk himself out of it.

Severus' body froze and his breath caught in his lungs. After a short moment which seemed like forever, the man leaned back and looked down into the scared and vulnerable green eyes of his lover.

**A/N:**_ Woohoo! The confession, I hope you guys enjoyed this. Feedback is appreciated. Don't forget to review and stay tuned for chapter Nijuuhachi (28). See you then!_


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:**_ So I was a little cruel last chapter. At least I got some entertainment out of it. =3 lol. Okay, so here it is, the long awaited chapter Nijuuhachi! (28). Also, a little p.s., I rewrote the summery, can you guys read it and let me know what you think? I'd greatly appreciate it. Much love!_

**LOVE?**

He knew it! He had had his suspicions about what the translation was. And he was right but now what? If Harry really was in love with him then they were deep in something that they shouldn't be. With upcoming events so close on the horizon it was impossible to keep this going for much longer. How could he have let this happen? Their relationship was taboo enough as it is.

The next thing he knew Harry was pushing him away, fighting back tears. "I shouldn't have said anything." he mumbled in a voice full of anguish.

"No, Harry wait!" Severus reached out and grabbed the boy's arm, pulling him back. "Please, just give me a minute to think."

"If you have to think about what you're supposed to say next then I don't need to wait." Harry pulled his arm sharply and freed himself, taking a few steps away, keeping out of the man's reach. "I can't believe this…" He said, his voice cracking on the words. "It was just about the sex to you."

"No! Harry that's not it. I'm just worried, this isn't going to work for long. Not with everything we have to do."

"So you'll be too busy for me?" Harry shouted surprised.

"No! Damn Harry, do you even know what love is?" That was the wrong thing to say. He could see the pain and betrayal across his lover's face.

"I wouldn't have said anything if I wasn't sure." he said softly before turning and heading through the trees.

"Harry!" Severus chased after him. He wasn't going to loose him again. "Please wait, let me explain."

"You don't love me. It's that simple, you don't have to explain anything." Harry said with his back to the man as his pace slowed, almost hopefully.

"I didn't say that. Actually I didn't say anything. I'm just worried, because of the death eaters and Voldemort's return that…pretty soon we're going to have to fight him. Things can't stay like this forever. I wish they could. But…Harry, Dumbledore's asked me to be a spy for the order."

"A spy?" Harry turned around and looked up at the man with concern masking his pain.

"I'm to reinstate as a death eater and get as close to Voldemort as possible. I've already gotten in. and it's very possible that in the future I will have to do something that you'll hate me for." Severus tried to explain without telling too much.

"I'll understand, because of what you've just told me. It'll be okay."

Severus shook his head. "besides you'll be fighting from the other side. I'm going to need you to be focused on that. Promise me, that when the time comes, you'll forget about me."

"No." Harry said flatly. "I just want a straight answer. Do you love me?"

Severus looked down into the boy's emerald eyes, debating what to say.

"Don't factor in our situation, the future, or the past. Just answer the question. How do you feel right now?"

Severus did his best to follow Harry's instructions. And without everything shadowing his thoughts in doubt he could honestly say, "I love you." then it all came crashing back. "But I was trying to make it less painful. Because if we continue this, it's going to hurt a lot more in the future."

"I'm just glad you love me too." Harry let out a breath the man hadn't realized he was holding.

"Don't forget it. No matter what happens, no matter what I do, know that I love you. And everything can't be as good as it is now, but if we survive this, and it's all over, I'd like to be with you again."

"It's a date then." Harry breathed stepping closer. "I'm sorry, I got upset."

"I'm sorry it has to be so hard." Severus pulled his lover close his chest and rested his chin on his head. "I do love you. I can't believe how good it feels to say that."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah that's what I thought the first time I told you."

"That's really what you were saying? That's amazing it had such an effect on me."

"I rather enjoyed it."

Severus smiled and tilted the boy's head up. "Harry…" he leaned in close, lips almost touching. "…I love you."

Harry closed the distance and pressed his lips to his lover's, as his arms hooked around the man's neck. When they pulled away he smiled up at him. "I love you too."

"Let's get back to the castle before somebody misses you."

"Oh alright. If we have to." Harry dropped his arms to his sides.

"Hmm…" Severus said looking down at the boy. "We just had a pretty serious fight. Don't couples usually have 'make-up sex'?"

Harry burst into laughter. "Well yes." he said once he could breath again. "but we don't really have the time right now. Perhaps during our tutoring session this afternoon?"

"I like the sounds of that. Although…" Severus said as they began walking back to the castle. "I had told myself that I'd actually teach you this time, but I guess I'll wait to teach you until tomorrow's lesson."

~passing of time~

As they entered the great hall, now serving breakfast, Umbridge's voice echoed off the stone walls and drew every student's attention. "Pardon me Professor, but what exactly are you insinuating?" Severus walked with Harry out into the corridor and saw Umbridge and McGonagall on the stairs.

"I'm merely requesting that when it comes to my students you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices." the older woman said, glaring fiercely at the other.

"It's so silly of me, but it sounds as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom." she answered. "Minerva."

"Not at all, Dolores. Merely your medieval methods."

"I am sorry dear, but to question my practices is to question the ministry, and by extension, the minister himself. I'm a tolerant woman, but the one thing I will not stand for, is disloyalty."

"Disloyalty." Ms. McGonagall repeated, standing down.

"Things at Hogwarts are far worse then I feared." the pink clad woman said addressing the crowd that had formed. "Cornelius will want to take immediate action."

Harry looked up at Severus and they both exchanged looks.

**A/N:**_ I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but a lot did happen in it. Okay so next chapter I'm going to fast forward again, we're going to get through this year as quickly as possible without leaving anything really good out of the plot. Okay, so don't forget to read my new summery and review please! Next chapter will be Nijuukyuu. (29)_


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:**_ Hey guys! Well I'm back in Colorado now, so updates will definitely get slower. I'm sorry for that. But anywho, here's chapter Nijuukyuu (29). I hope you guys were looking forward to it. In this we're going to fast forward a ways so we can get this year over with. _

**THE STORY CONTINUES**

"Severus!" Harry cried out in pure pleasure. Their bodies were entwined in beautiful poetic bliss on the man's couch in front of a roaring fire.

Christmas had been hell without each other. And not to mention the time before, with the pink bitch's, as she had been fondly named, rule rampage. The only time they could talk to each other, without loitering in the hallway, was during the tutoring sessions. And Severus had really cracked down, and been trying to teach Harry as much as possible.

Now they were pressed together, their breath heavy and panting when they weren't too busy kissing. They rolled and fell the short distance to the floor, both of them stopping to chuckle briefly before continuing on the rug.

The only light was from the fire, kissing over their skin as if joining in on their moment of ecstasy filled bliss.

"H-Harry…" Severus panted, his voice deep and gravely with lust. "I love you…" he groaned into the boy's ear.

"I love you too…" Harry said in almost a whimper as his level of sexual tolerance was being reached. He moaned loudly and writhed under his older lover, his face contorted in pleasure.

"When you cum…say that to me in parsletongue." the man said roughly, saying he was very close to his own climax and wanted to be sent out with a bang.

"A-alright…" the boy answered.

They meshed together a while longer before Harry's desperate voice cracked and his body shuddered. "[I love you!]"

With those words still fresh on the boy's lips, Severus cried out and shuddered as he came deep inside his lover.

Harry hadn't told any of his friends where he was going. And neither made an excuse for their visit today, the first day back from Christmas break. Not to mention it was already incredibly late. No doubt Hermione and Ron were worried about him.

"Severus…" Harry panted after they both had time to float down from the amazing high. "I have to get back now."

"I know…just a few more minutes, please." the man half whispered as his lips ghosted over Harry's temple and cheek bone to follow his jaw line.

"Only a few." he said softly, his eyes falling closed.

"How about enough for a shower?" the man asked pulling back enough to look into the hypnotic green orbs of his lover.

Slowly a smile crossed Harry's features. "Oh alright, but right after I need to leave."

"Of course." Severus got up and helped the boy to his feet. Together they walked to his private bathroom. The potion's master started the water and then guided his student under the warm cascade. As water poured down their skin, they stood close to each other and looked into smiling eyes.

They didn't say anything. They didn't need to. The moment was perfect without any words. They cleaned off relatively quickly and Severus cast a quick dry charm over both of them.

Harry got dressed as fast as he could and said goodbye to his lover before heading back to the Gryffindor common room.

"Where have you been, Harry?" Ron asked from his spot on the couch.

There wasn't that many people still in the room, most of them had already gone to bed. But a few night owls and Harry's two best friends had stayed up. The later two waiting for him.

"Sorry guys. Professor Snape needed to talk to me about making up lessons for my lack of practice during Christmas." Harry said moving around to flop down on the couch beside his friends.

"Man that really sucks." Ron huffed.

"What does?"

"That you have to spend all this extra time with the slimy git." the ginger said, as if it should be obvious to the other boy.

"Oh yeah…right." Harry tried to cover. "Unbearable."

"Harry, did Malfoy ever talk to you?" Hermione asked curiously.

"huh? Oh…no. actually I hadn't seen or heard from him that often this year." the boy said trying to think about the last time Draco had spoken up to insult him or his friends. He knew he was involved in Umbridge's private police force. As were Crabbe and Goyle, and any other Malfoy groupie. The thought of the blond enforcing rules and being in a position of power made the teen feel queasy.

"Oh…" The bushy haired girl muttered as if disappointed by the news.

"You should just go up to him and ask him what he wanted." Ron said.

"To tell you the truth, I'm really not all that interested. And if it was that important he would've told me by now." Harry answered.

The red head grumbled, it seemed as if he was more curious about it then Harry. Which was probably the case. Anyway, Harry was too tired to talk anymore. He stood up and said goodnight to the two and made his way to the boy's room.

He got dressed for bed, his movements slow and lethargic. Then he flopped down on his bed, falling asleep immediately.

Severus woke up the next morning relatively on time. And quickly got ready for the day. Last night had been amazing. It was so wonderful to be with the boy again. Especially after not being able to see him once throughout Christmas break.

He had gotten Harry a present. Though, he was too nervous to give it to him before he left. And with everything that happened last night he had forgotten.

Severus looked down at the small box, sitting on his bedside table, and smiled. It was wrapped in red paper with a golden bow on top. He had put a lot of thought behind this small thing, which wasn't like him at all.

He reached out and lightly touched the bow, remembering how simple and yet perfect it was. He took a breath and then turned to leave his bedroom. He walked briskly across his living room and was about to exit his chambers when he heard a small tapping sound at the small window near the ceiling.

His chambers were in the bowels of the castle so the only windows there were the small ones right at the ceiling, and ended at ground level.

The professor looked up and saw a small owl with a piece of parchment in its beak. Severus let out a huff air. So it was going to be one of those days. He pulled a chair over to the wall and climbed up to open the window for the creature.

The bird simply dropped the letter through the open window and then flew away. Severus closed the window again and put the chair back under his dinning table. He broke the ceil and read the dainty scrawl carefully.

"_Dear Professor Snape,_"It started. "_I have some concerns I wish to speak to you about. It involves your private tutoring sessions with the young Mr. Potter. I believe them to be unsafe and an illogical thing to teach him in only his 5__th__ year. I will be seeing to it that these sessions are terminated, please meet with me over morning tea to discuss this further. Madame Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge_"

Oh this was going to be a bad day. Severus growled and crumpled the paper up into his fist. It would take everything in his power of self restraint not to kill the woman on sight. He swallowed his anger down and straightened out the paper. He folded it carefully and stuffed it into his pocket. He would have to show it to Harry later. Right now he had to have some tea with the woman from hell.

Severus made his way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and knocked loudly on the office door.

"Come in." the woman chirped from her position behind her desk.

When Snape opened the door and entered the room she smiled. "Oh Severus, so good to have you for tea." she said happily. "Please sit down."

The man scowled at her cheery disposition and took the seat opposite her. "What's the meaning of your letter?" he grumbled.

"Well…" she started as she poured some tea into two cups. "It's my understanding that Dumbledore put you in charge of teaching Mr. Potter Occlumency. Is that correct?"

"Yes, and I fully intend to keep doing such." Severus said fixing the woman with one of his stares.

"Dumbledore no longer holds the power over Hogwarts. He was an unfit man for the job. Now I've been very patient with Mr. Potter, but he simply cannot receive special treatment and get private lessons, over material far too advanced for him."

"He's doing great. He's learned a lot already. Who are you to say the material is too advanced for him. Perhaps it's too advanced for Mr. Longbottom, but not Harry."

"So you two have become close over your lessons? I'm afraid I cannot allow these to continue any longer Severus." the woman said taking a sip of her tea. "It's far too dangerous to teach him something like that. He should be taught with his classmates, in a safe environment."

"Occlumency is hardly dangerous." Severus said.

"The lessons will end." Umbridge snapped, her happy tone no longer in her voice.

"Very well then. But Dumbledore's not going to be happy about this." Severus growled standing up and heading for the door. "Thank you for the tea." he said, even though he hadn't touched it. The door slammed as he left and he hurried to the Great Hall to see if Harry was eating breakfast.

He wasn't in there so the man decided to go to the Gryffindor tower and find him.

"Oh hello, Professor Snape." the fat lady said from within her frame.

"I need to speak to Harry Potter. Can you tell me if he's still in there?"

"Yes he is. In fact he's just woken up. I could fetch him if you'd like." she offered.

"That would be very helpful, thank you." Severus said with a nod.

The woman vanished behind her frame and a few moments later she returned. "He's on his way." she said.

"Thank you again."

It didn't take long for the portrait to swing open and Harry crawled out into the hall of changing staircases. He was still in his pajamas and he looked up at the man a little confused. "What's the matter Professor?" he asked, very aware of the fat lady, listening close by.

Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter. "Here," he said handing it over to the boy. "Read this."

Harry read over the letter and then looked up Severus with an appalled expression. "She can't do this."

"Oh yes she can. And she knows it, too."

"But Dumbledore-"

"Dumbledore doesn't have the power here." Severus said. "I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do."

Harry was silent for a long time. "She's bloody evil."

That night at dinner, and owl flew down in front of Harry and dropped a small red box with a golden bow on top.

"Bit late for Christmas isn't it?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.

Harry shrugged and examined the box carefully.

"Well open it." Hermione said with an eager smile.

Harry wasn't sure if he should but finally gave way to peer pressure and tore the paper carefully. There was a cardboard box holding whatever his present was. He opened that too and pulled out what felt like a book. But once out in the light he could see it was actually a photo album. And scrawled across the top, in the written form of parsletongue, were the words "[I love you]".

**A/N:**_ And she started the chapter with sex! How amazing am I? okay so I hope you guys liked the Christmas present. I was little iffy, while writing this entire chapter I kept debating about what it should be and when I finally reached the end I settled for this. I guess it's a lot better then something that would just sit on a shelf and collect dust. Because Harry likes photo albums anyway. So I thought it would better than an ornamental snitch, or something like that. Okay, don't forget to review! Or I'll kill Snape. Chapter Sanjuu next!_


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N:**_ okay welcome to chapter Sanjuu (30). In this chapter we're going to see the beginnings of "Dumbledore's Army" and the return of Hagrid. I'm sure everyone remembers his adorable half brother. Anyway, Don't forget to review! I truly love to hear from you guys. _

**THE RESISTANCE**

"What's that scribble on the cover?" Ron asked as he leaned across the table to try and read what was engraved on the photo album.

"It's parsletongue." Harry said with a warm smile. He drew his fingers over the words, feeling the way they indented into the book.

"What's it mean?" Hermione asked, fascinated.

"It reads, 'I love you'."

"Awe, Harry. That's so sweet." the bushy haired girl said with a smile.

"Oh you mean your secret girlfriend?" Ron retorted with a bit of venom. He had heard, upon his return, about how Harry had found himself a girl.

"Don't be snippy Ronald." Hermione said in a motherly tone. "You should be happy for your friend, that he found someone special."

"Yeah, so special he won't even tell his best mates her name."

"We don't need to know."

"Guys, if I could tell you I would. I swear. There are certain circumstances we have to get around first. But I swear on my mother's grave, you two will be the first two I tell." Harry said.

Ron was surprised at how easily Harry could swear on his mother's grave. "Alright mate. Just so long as we're the first to find out."

"I can see your aura." a small voice sounded from behind the group.

They looked up and saw Luna Lovegood standing behind them wearing some odd looking glasses.

"Luna?"

"Your's is violet right now, Hermione." she said smiling down at the other girl. "You're very perceptive lately, but be careful, it might get you into a bit of trouble. And what you see might not be what you expect."

"Oh…Thank you Luna." Hermione said smiling nervously.

"And Ron's is a strong blue. You are feeling very emotional. You're quick to temper, but you are starting to feel the beginnings of strong feelings for someone who you are close to. You might be confused and worried, since you're not sure if the other feels the same way. You need to relax, all this stress is being put out on your friends in the form of jealousy or anger."

"Ron's got a crush." Harry said with a chuckle.

"Shut it." Ron mumbled under his breath.

"Harry." Luna said addressing the last of the small group. "Your's is strange. Normally one's aura is found all around their body, exuding their feelings and emotions openly. But your's is all squished in your chest. But it's a steady glowing pale green. Almost seafoam, it's a very pure color. And it's like it's reaching out from the center of your chest, as if it's trying to grab something far away. I've seen this exact thing earlier while sitting at my own table. I looked up at the teacher's and saw that Professor Snape had the same color and congregation in his chest. It's odd."

"Oh, well thank you anyway. Do you know what the color means?" he asked, almost afraid of her answer.

"Not really. But I can guess that whatever emotion you're currently feeling is very strong and very pure of heart."

"Wow Harry, you're pure of heart." Ron said in a joking manner.

"Not necessarily." Luna corrected. "His emotions and the feelings he's dwelling on right now are."

"Oh, I take it back mate."

"Ron." Hermione chided with a smile.

"Aren't you supposed to have tutoring with the professor tonight?" Luna asked Harry.

"Nope." Ron said, voice chipper and smile wide. "Umbridge called 'em off. The only good she's done round here so far."

"Ron, Harry needs those lessons." Hermione said, trying to convey their importance.

"I was doing pretty good too. Just getting the hang of it." Harry said.

"Oh that's too bad. Well have a lovely evening." Luna said with a wave before dancing away.

"She's weird, that one." Ron mumbled.

"I don't know. I think we should listen to what she said." Hermione answered. "I know I've been picking up a few strange things lately. And I'm making assumptions. Perhaps I shouldn't. maybe my own assumptions are blinding me from what's really going on."

"Wow…okay, so who am I supposed to have a crush on?"

"Well, she did say it was someone you were close to. Think about it carefully, but don't stress out too much."

"Okay miss genius. Then what does Harry's mean? and why is Snape's the exact same?"

"Well, Harry has been spending a lot of time with the professor, and they are, excuse me, were, studying Occlumency and Leglimency. Perhaps, Harry was the first to have this reaction, but with Snape constantly seeing every part of Harry's life, it's possible he took on those same feelings, simply by being exposed to the same things Harry has been. It's very likely that now that the lessons have stopped, Snape's aura will change back to normal."

"Wow…you've got everything all figured out, don't you?"

"I'm merely hypothesizing."

"Well it's a pretty good Theory." Harry said with a smile.

"No, you see, it's only a hypothesis. A Theory is a widely believed hypothesis, and since it's just us three talking about this, and we're not presenting it to the whole wizarding world, it's only a hypothesis."

Harry's eyebrows knit together in confusion. And then Ron spoke up, "My head hurts." Together all three of them laughed.

~passing of time~

Severus was frustrated. He hadn't gotten to see much of his lover since his first day back from Christmas break. He wasn't even sure if he liked his present or not.

One night he was sitting in his living room, pandering what to do about this, when there was a soft knock on his door.

He stood up and went over to answer it and was taken back when he saw that no one was there. Then, as if straight from his memory he felt a pair of hands push him back and out of the way. "Harry…" he breathed a sigh of relief. It had been too long.

The invisibility cloak slipped away to reveal his lover standing in front of him. "I missed you so much." he said closing the distance and embracing the man.

Severus wrapped his own arms around his little love and breathed in the scent of him. "What took you so long?" he asked breaking the silence.

"Well to tell you the truth I've been busy." Harry said looking up at the man.

"Busy? With what?"

"Well…myself and a handful of other students have started a club of sorts. We're calling ourselves Dumbledore's Army. The object of this secret society, is to get together in our free moments and teach each other real Defense Against the Dark Arts. We all know, or at least have a sense, about what's soon to come and we've decided to prepare ourselves." The boy explained with an eager expression.

"You do realize if you're caught by Umbridge, you'll be tried for treason, don't you?" Snape said worry etching into his forehead.

"Yeah, we've all discussed it carefully, and we know the consequences. But we're still willing to take that risk."

"Please be careful. As a teacher here I'm not going to condone any of this, but as someone, who I hope is special to you, I'll look the other way. Now, where exactly are these meetings taking place?"

"We don't actually have a place yet. We're still looking and coming up with ideas."

"Well let me know when you find out, alright?"

"Alright. And Severus, thank you for my present. I love it." Harry beamed up at the man happily. "Someday I'd like to fill it with pictures of us."

"That's a wonderful idea. I'm glad you like it."

"I actually got you present too. But…well it kind of exploded."

Severus' eyes went wide. "May I ask how?"

"Well I remembered last year how Crouch Jr. stole a lot of your supplies and I thought maybe I could get you some more. because I know a lot of it was pretty rare, and the school doesn't just cough up funds for replacements too easily." Harry said.

"You got me more potion ingredients?" Snape asked, a smile stretching across his face.

"Well…like I said, it exploded." the boy said again. I had also gotten me a few things from Fred and George, and it was all in my trunk. I must've put something else in there and broke one of the bottles, well it got mixed with the twins jokes and next thing I know I'm falling out of bed, the life scared out of me, because of the loud bang. All the other Gryffindors woke up too, even the girls. We managed to save most of my books and clothes, but my trunk will never be the same."

Severus chuckled. "A likely story." he said with a mock glare.

"Oh come on, I promise to make it up to you." Harry said in a desperate tone.

"Really now? And how do you expect to make it up to me, Hmm?"

"I have a few ideas. But unfortunately their going to have to wait." the boy said with a disappointed tone. "I can't stay very long tonight, the guys have taken to staying up pretty late and talking about the plans."

"That's alright. Just sit down with me and let's talk." Severus said guiding his lover to the couch and sitting him down. He brought the fire back to life and then joined him. "So tell me more about this thing you're doing."

They talked for while, sitting together all cozy in front of the fireplace. They discussed Harry's plans and Severus' apprehension. They talked about their Christmases. Harry told Snape about what Luna had said about their auras and Hermione's 'hypothesis'.

Severus was mildly interested in what the ravenclaw supposedly saw, which was more than normal.

When it came time to say goodnight and for Harry to leave, the boy was feeling like this was the best night he had ever spent with the man, and it didn't even involve sex. Sure they both wanted it, and both could tell. But it was different. It was as if they were content to just sit there together.

"Goodnight." Severus said leaning close. "I love you."

"Goodnight, I love you too." Harry said, closing the space and pressing his lips to the man's in a goodnight kiss.

Severus watched as the boy covered himself with the invisibility cloak. And then he watched as the door closed. He sighed and locked it after his love, then he went to bed, in hopes of getting a good night's rest.

**A/N:**_ don't forget to review! Sanjuuichi (31) next!_


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N:**_ Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the hiatus, again. This internet was supposed to have been fixed forever ago, but no such luck. It is a lot better then it was. (which isn't much) I'm sure it'll take me at least 3 hrs to upload this chapter. And forget trying to upload pictures to Facebook. -GAH!- okay enough of my freak-out. Let's get started. _

_In the last chapter we saw a glimpse of what was going on with the students, in this chapter we'll see more. And what was up with Luna and her weird, and by weird I mean totally awesome, glasses? Well only I know what's to come so that means you all have to just sit there in front of your spiffy computers and wait for me to get a good enough internet connection to tell you. _

_Chapter sanjuuichi (31)._

**WHAT IS REQUIRED**

"Guys!" Neville ran into the Gryffindor common room. "I found it! The perfect place!"

Harry was working on homework with Hermione and Ron was messing around with one of his brothers' jokes that he had managed to hide from Umbitch. They all looked up from their distractions when their friend rushed towards them.

"Hold on Neville," Harry said rising to his feet. "What have you found?"

"The perfect place we all can meet."

"Are you serious? That's great." Hermione said with a genuinely pleased face.

"Gather the D.A. tonight and I'll show you."

They did as Neville had requested and after the evening meals they followed him to a specific spot in the castle. He stopped and faced the empty wall. After a long awkward moment of just standing there like idiots, the bricks slowly dissolved away to form a large door with intricate metal work.

Neville stepped forward and opened it for the others revealing a very large room with no windows. In the floor were metal grates and all along one wall were mirrors, like what you'd find in a dance studio.

"It's the room of requirement." Hermione said in awe of the room.

"What's that mean?" Harry asked looking down at his friend.

"Well, it's most commonly known as the 'come-and-go' room. It only appears if someone is in real need of it. And is always equipped to the person's needs." Hermione explained.

"So…Say, I really need the toilet…" Ron trailed off.

"That's the general idea."

~passing of time~

They used the room of requirement to study Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry wasn't able to really see much of his lover except the few late night trips, and he even then it wasn't for very long. He still hadn't managed to give the man a Christmas present, and he felt a little bad about that. He was just so busy these days. Finally one day came when they were training and there was a large banging on the wall, coming from outside the room of requirement.

The students lowered their wands and watched curiously as cracks stretched across the brick wall. All of a sudden the wall exploded and Dolores Umbridge, Flitch, and their army of Slytherins, stood there smirking at them. Draco stepped forward dragging Cho Chang, a member of the army and Cedric's girlfriend (before he died). It was obvious to everyone, that she had betrayed them.

Umbridge's army dragged them to Dumbledore's office where Cornelius Fudge was waiting for them.

"I've been watching them for weeks." the pink monstrosity said crossing the room and handing the man a piece of parchment. It was the list of members they had created. And scrawled across the top of the page was "Dumbledore's Army". the clever name they had chosen for their group. "And see," the woman continued. "Dumbledore's Army. Proof, of what I've been telling you right from the beginning Cornelius." Then she looked up and addressed the head master himself. "All your fear mongering about You-know-who, never fooled us for a minute. We saw your lies for what they were, a smoke screen for your bit to seize control of the ministry."

"Naturally." Dumbledore said with a smug grin on his face.

"No, professor." Harry said in protest. "He had nothing to do with it, it was me."

"Most noble of you Harry to shield me. But as it's been pointed out," The man said giving the boy a look that he couldn't decipher. "the parchment clearly says, _Dumbledore's_ Army. Not Potter's." then he turned back to Umbridge and Mr. Fudge. "I instructed Harry to form this organization, and I, and I alone, am responsible for its actions."

Harry wanted to shout again, that he was the one to come up with the group, not the headmaster, but something in the look the man had given him silenced all attempts.

"Dispatch an owl to the daily prophet, if we hurry we can make the morning addition." the Minister shouted orders. It was then that Harry noticed the other two men who were now standing behind the man and woman. One of whom he recognized as Mr. Kingsley from the Order. "Dolores, Shacklebolt," which could only be the other man. "You will escort Dumbledore to Azkaban."

Horror filled Harry's expression as he looked from the woman's vengeful face to the opposite of Dumbledore's calm demeanor.

"To await trial for conspiracy and sedition…" the man continued before getting interrupted by the headmaster.

"Aah, I thought we might hit this little snag." the man turned and stepped back behind his desk. "You seem to be laboring under the illusion that I'm going to…what was the phrase? Come quietly?" Harry couldn't see the others' faces because they had advanced on the older man and now had their backs to the students. "Well I can tell you this. I have no intention of going to Azkaban."

"Enough of this." the woman sneered. "Take him!"

Dumbledore turned and gave Harry a small wink before his phoenix, Fox, flew into the air and just as it came directly over his head, Dumbledore threw his arms up and clapped his hands over his bird. Together they erupted into flames and then disappeared, the force knocking his attackers back.

When everything cleared away, and all that was left of the man and his bird was smoke, everyone stood back up and dusted themselves off.

"Ugh…" Kingsley groaned from a short distance behind the minister. "You may not like him Minister, but you have to admit…Dumbledore's got style." This angered the shorter man and he threw an angry glare over his shoulder.

~Passing of time~

The next thing they knew, Harry and his friends found themselves in the DADA classroom writing sentences with those cursed quills. Every word they wrote dug a little deeper into their skin. The hateful woman sat in a throne like chair in front of the whole class looking especially pleased.

When they were finally dismissed Cho was waiting for them out in the hall. Except everyone ignored her and just walked passed.

~Passing of time~

"And now the bitch has cancelled quiditch!" Harry shouted taking swings at a pillow on the couch. He was sitting on his knees on a familiar couch in front of a familiar roaring fire. Severus' dark figure fidgeted with something on the other side of the room before turning and making his way over to his young lover.

Right on cue Harry winced in pain as his right hand came down on the cushion causing the swelling from his previous "punishment".

"Here." Severus said reaching out his hand for Harry's. "Quit flailing around." he was obviously upset at the manner in which the woman had chosen to punish Harry and his friends. And what's more, Harry told him that it wasn't the first time he'd gone through that.

Harry stretched out his arm and gave his injured hand to the man. Who quickly and gently spread some green salve over the wound and then wrapped it tightly with some gauze. "I want you to take this jar and let your friends use it. Okay?"

Harry looked up at the man and he could see the anger in his obsidian eyes. "Thank you." he watched as Severus screwed the lid back on the jar and then set it down on the floor beside their feet.

"I wish I could do something. To stop her. I suppose I could physically do the job and then wind up in Azkaban, and then you wouldn't be any better off."

"Don't worry." Harry whispered leaning closer and smiling softly at his lover. "Thank you again. It's already starting to work. My hand's completely numb now."

Severus let out a deep sigh. "Harry…" he started before looking down into green eyes. "How long can you stay tonight?"

A playful smirk crossed the boy's features. "As long as you have the time, I'd prefer to stay here until summer." he chuckled. "but I can stay, until morning anyway."

A smile slowly worked its way across Severus' face. "How do you wish to spend this fine evening?"

"I can think of a few things. For one I need to give you your Christmas present." Harry said giving the man a sly grin.

"I like the sounds of that."

"Okay, then just sit back, and enjoy yourself. This is something I've never done before, so I'm not sure how good I'll be…" Harry trailed off as he moved to sit on his knees on the floor in front of the man.

"I think I'm going to like this." Severus said smiling down at the boy. It had been a very long time since they had done anything like this and he could already feel the tension easing.

Harry reached up and made quick work of the fastening of Severus' belt and pants. Then he looked up at the man's face and smiled. "Care to give me a hand?" he asked tugging of the trousers for emphasis.

Severus smirked and pushed his pants down to his knees where Harry took over from there.

**A/N:**_ by the way, I need to thank user nosyrosie16 for the title of Umbitch. You rock! And also just a little fyi, when I first started writing this story or even reading fan fics for that matter, the idea of oral sex was demeaning and disgusting…and then I experienced it. Chapter sanjuuni (32) dedicated Bitch in BitchAndMoan. Thank you for your support._

_Don't forget to review guys! If you don't review I'll kill Severus. -holds gun loosely in hand as if it were nothing- I'm serious._


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N:**_ hi everyone, I'm sorry that my latest chapters have kinda jumbled together. It's been a real mess inside my head. Anyway I'm going to try and make this one better, please be patient with me. Also this chapter, Ch. Sanjuuni (32), is dedicated to Bitch, in BitchAndMoan. Please continue to give me your support. Thank you everyone and don't forget to review._

**HAGRID'S BROTHER**

Harry reached up and took his lover in his hand causing a small grunt to escape the man's lips. With one final look up into his face the boy leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the head. He heard a strangled gasp and smirked around the man. His tongue came out to dance over the slit, tasting a hint of salty bitterness. But it wasn't enough to really be apparent.

Severus groaned and bucked his hips into Harry's mouth. It felt so wonderful. He couldn't believe Harry would do this for him. Severus believed that oral sex was completely one sided and somewhat demeaning. Although, willingly performing the act for someone special, really meant a lot.

Harry lowered himself down the length until he gagged and then he pulled back some. It was a shame he couldn't go all the way down like he wanted. But when Severus' hand came up to tangle in his hair, he smiled around the girth. He bobbed his head , causing the tip to repeatedly hit the roof of his mouth. He moaned, sending vibrations through his lover, electing a delicious moan from the man.

His grip in the boy's hair tightened out of reflex. "Merlin, Harry." he groaned his breath heavy and labored. He was hunched over, one hand in his student's hair the other gripping the arm rest of the couch, turning his knuckles white.

Harry continued his ministrations, quickening his pace and pumping his hand over what he couldn't reach with his mouth.

"Aaah…Harry…" the man moaned breathlessly. His body was shaking from the pure pleasure he was experiencing. He could feel himself growing closer to his climax and he tried to warn his lover but the only sound he could make were intelligible moans.

Harry was thoroughly enjoying himself, and just kept going. At least until the man exploded in his mouth. The boy gagged at the taste but he had no other choice other than to swallow it. "Ugh…" he looked up at his lover, flashing him a completely twisted expression.

Severus was coming down from his high when he looked into the boy's face and almost died laughing. "What's with that face?" he asked when he managed to catch his breath.

"It's disgusting!" Harry wailed. Which only fueled the man's insistent laughter.

"I'm sorry…"

"You could've warned me." the boy growled moving to crawl up on the couch next to the man.

"I tried." Severus said. He really did.

Harry flashed an incredulous look at the man. "You know," he said expression changing as he changed the subject. "I don't think I've ever heard you laugh so much before."

Severus smiled and pulled the boy close to him in a gentle hug. "Thank you, for that. I haven't laughed that much since my youth."

"So it was a good Christmas present?" Harry asked with a soft smile.

"Oh yes, the best I've ever had."

"Good." he closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together.

~Passing of time~

Harry was sitting in the great hall with his friends spreading the jar of salve around, when one of the first years ran up to them. "Guys!" he shouted, "Hagrid's getting the sack!"

"What?" Ron asked expressing the confusion everyone was feeling.

"Umbridge is sack'n Hagrid!" the boy said in a fluster.

Harry, Hermione and Ron all stood up at the same time and quickly ran down the Great Hall to the Exit.

Severus looked up from his eggs and watched curiously as the trio rushed out of the room. He'd have to ask Harry why later.

Harry and his friends made their way across the grounds in record time when they heard the woman's words filter through the front door. And they weren't friendly.

"Based on your history, you haven't been a teacher here for very long. And already you've had so many mistakes. And do you honestly think the students' parents are pleased to have a half giant so close to their children? I think not." there was a pause and a low rumble which could only be Hagrid's voice, but it was too low for the trio to hear. "No, I've made my argument, and I've my decision. You will leave the school's campus by the end of the day or I'll have you shipped to Azkaban for trespassing." again that low rumble but the woman wasn't listening.

Harry and the others hurried around the small hut to hide as the woman opened the door and stepped outside. They watched with anger in their eyes as she slowly crossed the grounds.

When she was a safe enough distance away they hurried and rushed inside to Hagrid's surprise.

"What'r you do'n 'ere?" He quickly tried to blink away the tears that were forming in his eyes. "You all will get inter trouble if she catches ya here."

"Hagrid." Hermione stepped forward and hugged the rather large man, who immediately started sniffling.

"We don't want you to go Hagrid." Harry said solemnly looking up at the man with a sad expression.

"I don't want ter either." the man grumbled hoarsely. "Doesn't change anyth'n." Hermione stepped back and after a long moment of silence the half giant started to fidget. "Can I ask you all a favor?"

"Anything." Ron said answering for the whole group.

Hagrid nodded. "Come with me."

The man led the trio into the Forbidden Forest and together they hiked a ways, stumbling over roots as the trees got thicker the farther they hiked.

"You have any idea where we're heading?" Ron asked his friends quietly.

"Hagrid, where are we going?" Harry had to shout, because the half giant was so far ahead of them.

"Just a little ways now!" He shouted his response. "Whoa!" all of a sudden a herd of centaurs stampeded passed Hagrid, making him jump.

Harry and the others managed to catch up with him and they all stared after the half horse, half human, creatures disappear in the trees and fog.

"I've never seen the Centaurs so riled up." the man said in shock. "If the ministry restricts their lands any further they're going to have a full uprising on their hands."

"Hagrid," Hermione said stepping forward. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry to be so mysterious, you three. I wouldn't be bothering you a-tall with it…if I weren't…" the man stared down at his hands trying to keep his composure.

"It's okay Hagrid." Harry said with a small smile. "This will all get sorted out."

"I needed to tell somebody about him." the half giant continued.

"Him?" Ron asked, fear clear on his face. It was obvious he was remembering their second year when Hagrid had a pet spider, that was bigger than the half giant himself.

"Yeah…" He turned and started back the way there had been going, Harry and the others falling back far enough to talk to each other quietly.

"First year it was a dragon," Ron said in a rushed and frantic whisper. "Next it was giant spiders. Third year was a hippogriff, and fourth year was the skrewtz. What's he got this time?"

"I don't know." Hermione said with a worried shrug.

"I just have to tell somebody about him." Hagrid said when he came to a stop.

The others soon caught up with him and looked around nervously.

"He's my brother, ya see." suddenly, what appeared to be a large rock, in the shadows, moved and the figure stood up. He had to have been taller than the troll they had encountered in their first year, and twice as dumb. A bat flew by and he followed it with around until he was facing the group. Suddenly he lunged forward and clapped his hands, killing the small animal, and almost Ron.

"Now Grawpy, I've brought ya some company."

"Is he a giant?" Hermione asked surprised. "AAAAH!" she screamed as the giant wrapped his hand around her and lifted her in the air.

"HAGRID! DO SOMETHING!" Ron shouted as he picked up a branch and ran forward.

"Grawpy, what have I said about grabbing? That's your new friend, Hermione."

Ron swung the branch at the giant's leg. It broke and Grawp, the giant in question, stepped forward, knocking the red head to the ground.

"Grawp!" Hermione shouted, pointed her finger at the giant. "Put Me Down…Now!" she put the emphasis on each word as she spoke in a motherly tone as if she were rebuking her child.

The giant's face changed to that of a kicked puppy. He slowly lowered Harry's bushy-haired friend down to the ground and stepped back.

"You alright?" Ron asked.

"Fine, just needs a firm hand, is all." She said, her voice a little shaky.

"Hagrid, Where did you find him?" Harry asked. They were now back in the professor's, or rather ex-professor's, house, helping him pack.

"Wit' the other giants. Dumbledore sent me to talk with 'em about join'n the order. Since we're fairly sure You-know-who is recruiting magical creatures, we thought we'd try to." Responded the man as he shrunk a rather large trunk and then stuffed it in his pocket.

"He is?" Hermione asked surprised. They were all surprised, they hadn't heard about any of this. And it wasn't as if Dumbledore had kept them in the loop all year.

"Tha's righ', now all'a you need ter keep it a secrete, ya hear?"

"Yes sir." they all said in unison.

After they had said goodbye to the half giant they hurried back to the castle where they had already missed their first class and had to rush to their second.

**A/N:**_ okay! So this chapter is dedicated to Bitch in BitchAndMoan! Chapter Sanjuuni! (32) now, I see some of you have taken my threat seriously, bravo to all of you. But I'm still not getting near enough reviews as I would like. I looks like it's going to be one sad ending for my story. -pulls Severus into the picture- Severus, my friend, do you have a will?_


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N:**_ Severus: "Please madam, if you are quite finished, I have to meet Mister Potter about a detention he is to serve." -rolls his eyes at aixelsyD-_

_-glares at the greasy git- "What are you talking about? I rule your life. I control your future!" _

"_Are you sure you're not related to that hag in the north tower?"_

"_Who?"_

"_Trelawney."_

"_Oh…no, I'm not. Anyway, as I was saying. I am the beautiful mastermind behind your sordid affair with the young, underage, boy. Who happens to be your student." -smiles a Cheshire like grin-_

_-eyes widen in shock- "I don't know what your talking about."_

"_Sure you do. Just look down there." -points down at chapter Sanjuusan (33)-_

_-hesitantly looks down-_

**THE TRUTH COMES OUT!**

"Harry are you sure?" Hermione called after her friend as the trio ran up the changing staircases.

"I'm positive!" Harry shouted over his shoulder. "It's just like with Mr. Weasley! It's the same door I've been dreaming about for months, only I couldn't remember where I had seen it before!" they rounded the landing and continued up the stairs. "Sirius said, Voldemort was after something! Something he didn't have the last time, and it's in the department of mysteries!"

"Harry please just listen!" Hermione's words cut through Harry's panic and they all stopped, the other turning back to look down at his two friends. "What if Voldemort meant for you to see this? That he's only hurting Sirius because he's trying to get to you."

"What if he is? Am I supposed to just let him die?" He said in a wavering voice. "Hermione, he's the only family I've got left."

Hermione and Ron turned to look at each other. Each of them contemplating the situation. It didn't take them very long to be convinced. "What do we do?" the red head asked looking back up at Harry.

The other boy let a hint of a smile grace his features as he turned and they all continued on their mad quest. "We'll have to use the floo network!" he called back to them.

"But Umbridge has the chimneys under surveillance." Hermione reasoned breathlessly. They were all getting tired of running up steps.

"Not all of them!"

They managed to make their way to the D.A.D.A classroom where they ran to the office that hag had painted completely pink. They broke into the smaller room using the ever useful charm, Alohomora. As Harry recalled Hermione had used it a few times before, the most prominent memory, however, being when Severus had used it after the Yule ball.

Once inside, Ron closed the door quietly behind them and set the lock. Harry and Hermione crossed the room to the fireplace and knelt down, taking the time to catch their breath. Harry grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it in, causing green flames to lick up the chimney. "Alert the order if you can." he said desperately.

"Are you mental?" Ron said hurrying to his friend's side. "We'll go with you."

"It's too dangerous!"

"When are you going to get it into your head? We're in this together." Hermione said. But before Harry had time to respond, the door slammed shut behind them. They hadn't even noticed when it was opened.

"That you are." Umbridge said in a fierce tone. She pulled out her wand and aimed it at the three. "You two against the wall. Mr. Potter in the chair." she barked out orders. The trio did as they were told just as Filch stepped into the doorway. "Mr. Filch. If you would please call together the inquisitorial squad, and have them collect the rest of Dumbledore's Army. Oh and, send for Severus, as well."

"Yes maim." he said with a nod and a sneer at the group. He quickly turned around and disappeared the way he came. It didn't take long for him to return with everyone else, including Draco and his followers.

After everyone was situated in the tiny office, backs against the walls, Umbridge leaned forward, pointing her bulbous nose in Harry's face. "You were going to Dumbledore weren't you?" she asked in her sickly sweet voice.

Harry took a breath before answering, "No-" but he was cut off when the woman's hand swung around and made contact with his cheek. The noise resonated off the pink stone walls, making his friends wince.

"LIAR!" she hissed. Every eye was on the two, which would explain how nobody saw Professor Snape standing in the doorway. His form was stiff and rigid as if he was using every bit of his self control NOT to lash out at the woman.

His hatred was clear in his onyx eyes as he spoke. "You sent for me…Head Mistress?" he spat the title as if it burned his tongue to say it.

Heads turned at the sound of his voice and Umbridge straightened to her proper height in a flash.

Harry looked up fixing the man with a pair of worried green eyes.

"Snape, yes!" she said her voice raised slightly as she struggled to keep the sugar coating. "It's time for answers. Whether they want to give them to me or not." a wicked smile spread across her face. "Have you brought the Veritaserum?"

"I'm afraid you've used up all my stores, interrogating students. The last of it on Ms. Chang." His eyes darted to his lover momentarily as he heard Hermione gasp in surprise. He had to get out of there before he did something stupid. But he also didn't want the bitch hurting Harry. He'd go to Order and tell them immediately what was going on. He only had to hope that Harry and his friends could handle themselves for however long it took. "Unless you wish to poison him, and I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy if you did, I cannot help you." he turned to leave but Harry's terrified voice stopped him, stabbing at his heart.

"He's got Padfoot!" Snape turned around to look Harry in the eye as he continued. "He's got Padfoot, at the place where it's hidden."

"Padfoot?" Umbridge repeated. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? Well what is he talking about Snape?"

The man slowly turned his face to the woman before answering. "No idea." was all he said before making a quick exit. He had to hurry. If what Harry had said was true then there wasn't any time to waste. Since the school's floo network was under surveillance he would first have to floo to his house and then to Black Manor.

He quickly made his way to his private chambers where he practically ran to the fireplace. It was true he never really cared for Sirius Black. But he was Harry's godfather, and the only family he had left. Besides all that, he was a top ranking member of the Order. He grabbed the floo powder and threw it into the hearth. The green flames roared silently as they licked the stone walls around them. Severus stepped into them and enunciated, "Spinner's End!"

Immediately he was pulled to his old childhood house where he stepped out of the fireplace only long enough to grab the floo powder and step back in. he dropped the powder in an irruption of green fire. "Black Manor!"

As soon as he arrived, he made sure to keep his head down because of the small hearth, he ran into the kitchen where he saw Dumbledore talking to Kingsley quietly at the end of the table while Molly Weasley piddled over a sink full of dishes. "We have to hurry!" he shouted, drawing the immediate attention of the adults. Mrs. Weasley was so shocked she dropped a dish, causing it to shatter on the floor in a soapy grave.

"My goodness, Severus." she chided. "What's gotten into you?"

"We have to hurry to the Ministry! Harry saw Voldemort," he paused as Kingsley and Mrs. Weasley flinched at the name. "He saw him there with Black. And Umbridge is torturing the students, all hell's broken loose at the school. She's completely lost her mind."

"What's going on in here?" Authur Weasley said from the doorway, behind Severus. He turned to see the ginger looking at him curiously and none other than Sirius Black standing behind him.

"A trap…It's a trap! If Harry manages to get to the Ministry before we do-"

"We must leave immediately!" Dumbledore rose to his feet, Kingsley following suit. "Mr. Potter's life is in danger. As well as his friends'. Authur! Call the rest of the Order together, we're going to need them."

"Right away!" the man said before rushing back out of the room and beyond Sirius.

"Severus," Dumbledore rounded the table and stepped closer to the now erratic potion master. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to sit out of this."

"What? I don't think so!" Serverus flew into a rage. There was no way he'd stay out of this. He had to go, to make sure Harry would be alright.

"Shh, Severus, you know why. You're our only link to what Voldemort's plans are."

"Except this one!" it was true he had no idea where this idea had come from. But it was also true that he was the Order's only spy and he couldn't blow his cover like that. For Harry's sake in the long run, he would have to put his faith in the other members to take care of the boy.

"My friend, I understand your frustration. We all want to help Potter, but we all must do our part."

Severus heaved a sigh and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Yes…you're right. You always are."

"Good. Now, tell me again what's happening at the school."

"Hang on!" Molly interrupted as she wiped her hands with a towel. She crossed the room in a huff and fixed the old man with a motherly look. "How are you going to get into the Ministry? They've shut down the floos, remember? And you can't just apparate there, not with all the wards."

"I'm well aware of that Mrs. Weasley, but we happen to have a member of the ministry for magic with access to their floo network right here." Dumbledore motioned to Kingsley who stepped forward.

"I'll get to work on that right away." he said with a nod before hurrying after Mr. Weasley.

"Severus?" Dumbledore turned back to the potion professor, urging him to continue.

"Umbridge has used all my Veritaserum on the students. She had all of 'Dumbledore's Army' gathered together and when I arrived she was physically punishing Mr. Potter in front of them. It seemed she was trying to get him to admit something. I wasn't there long enough to find out what, however."

"We need to remain calm. If the Dark Lord has managed to infiltrate the Ministry, it shouldn't be too much longer before we get there. I'm sure we'll be able to stop this before the children get there." Dumbledore placed a hand on Severus' shoulder, as if the old man could sense his uneasiness. "How were they going to get there in the first place?"

"I believe they were trying to use Umbridge's fireplace, to floo there."

"Oh…well that wouldn't have worked out too well." Dumbledore smiled. "Not to worry, I'm sure they won't even make it to the London. How else could they possibly get there?"

"We fly of course." Luna said in her usual cheery tone.

Umbridge had threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry, shortly after Snape's departure. Frantic to help her friend, Hermione lied, feeding the woman what she wanted to hear. She said that Dumbledore had a secret weapon, and while under this misimpression the two of them lead the woman into the forbidden forest and towards where Hagrid's brother, Grawp was. They were interrupted however when a large herd of centaurs attacked her and carried her off.

Hermione and Harry rushed back towards the castle when they ran into their friends who were locked in the office with them earlier. They had escaped thanks to Fred and George's 'Puking Pastels'. They were mulling over how they were going to get to the Ministry to save Sirius when Luna had suggested the Pestrals.

It didn't take them very long at all to reach the creatures. And soon enough they were flying over the scenic countryside of England, well on their way to London and the Ministry.

**A/N: **_aixelsyD: "See?" - smirk- _

_Severus: -clears throat- "I see…So what are your plans for our future? And will the Order get there before Harry?"_

"_You know what. Because you're so damn sexy, I'll tell ya." -leans forward and whispers the rest of the story in Severus' ear- "It's undetermined whether or not I'm going to kill you at that point or not. It all depends on the reviews and faves I get."_

"_So truthfully my life is in the hands of your readers? I'm doomed. Tell Harry I love him."_

"_Will do!" -winks and gives a thumbs up- "So will you join me in Chapter Sanjuuyon (34)?"_

_-Severus poofs away in a puff of green smoke-_

"_Guess not."_


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N:**_ First of all, WOOT to 100,000 Hits! But what I can't understand is if I'm getting this many views, why am I not getting this many reviews? Hm…I guess Severus really is doomed after all. And by the way, I apologize for the delay, I'm planning my wedding and it's coming up really fast. January the 8__th__, 2011! Also I had to take a quick trip to retrieve something…_

_aixelsyD: -turns on single light, that shines down on a bound form, a bag over his or her head- "MWAHAHAHAHA! And the evil plot thickens!"_

_Bound Person: "What's that? Who's there?" -thrashes around-_

_aixelsyD: -walks over and pulls sack off head to reveal Harry Potter, and chuckles maniacally before turning to the readers.- "Mind you, it wasn't easy to capture him."_

_Harry: "Who are you talking to?"_

_aixelsyD: "That doesn't matter!" -steps close- "Here read this…"_

_Harry: "What is it?"_

_aixelsyD: "It's chapter Sanjuuyon, that's Japanese for Thirty-four, of your life."_

_Harry: "My life?"_

_aixelsyD: "Of course silly. Now read."_

**THE PROPHECY **

The group had made it to the Ministry building in little to no time at all. When they got there, however, the wards had been broken, and the visitor's entrance was left unprotected. They piled into the phone booth in twos and threes, taking turns descending into the dark main lobby of the Ministry. Once everyone had made it off the London streets, they set off at a run towards the lifts.

The elevators jostled the group around as it took them to the basement, where Harry led the way running down the halls, wand-light extended out in front of him. He turned down a dead end hallway and towards a large ominous door with an equally large doorknob set in the center of the wood work. Harry pushed it open without hesitation and rushed forward.

The room was dark, the only light was a dim blue-ish glow coming from thousands and thousands of crystal balls, all perched on towering shelves. They varied in sizes but all had the same blue fog swirling around inside. There were tags too, tied around the small stands that held them in place. Written on the tags were names.

The door they had just entered was standing alone in the center of an intersection of isles; no wall to hold it up. But nothing surprised Harry at the moment.

He ran forward reading the isle markers as he did so, until he reached the intersection between isles 95 and 96. He stopped dead, using his wand light to search the floor around him. Harry slowly turned around to face his friends who were stopped a few isles back. "He should be here!" he shouted, his voice dripped with desperation.

"Harry…" Neville said. He was facing the end of isle 87, his wand raised up to use its light. "I-it's got your name on it." he sputtered nervously. He was staring at one of the many glowing orbs on the shelf, fidgeting in place.

Harry moved forward, walking back to the group. He faced the glowing orb with his name on it and reached up. As soon as he grasped the smooth glass ball, a face appeared in the smoke, the expression reminded him of Professor Trelawney when she had actually had a real vision during his third year.

Suddenly a strained voice resonated from deep inside. It had an odd echo to it as if the woman was at the end of a long tunnel, trying to call out to the other end. "_The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches!_" she said, breaking off to gasp for air. "_And the dark lord shall mark him as his equal, but he shall have powers the dark lord knows not…_" she broke again to heave and gasp before continuing. "_For neither can live…while the other s-s-survives._" The woman fell silent and the smoke inside smoothed out so that the face disappeared.

"Harry!" Hermione cried out, stepping forward down the isle between 87 and 88, pointing her wand at a dark figure that was slowly, and silently approaching the group.

Harry moved forward as well, to stand beside her, raising his wand with everyone else.

Slowly the dark figure stepped into the wand light, revealing dark robes and a silver death eater mask. The person was using a walking stick with a familiar silver snake head for a handle.

There wasn't a doubtful bone in Harry's body that this particular death eater was Lucius Malfoy. "Where's Sirius?" he shouted at the man, gripping his wand so tight his knuckles were turning white.

"You know you really ought to learn the difference between dreams…" when the man spoke that last word he pulled his wand out of his cane and used it to peal away his mask, which evaporated into black smoke that seemed to be sucked into the tip of the blonde's wand. "And reality." he finished in a practiced dramatic way. "You saw, only what the dark lord wanted you to see." he said aiming his wand at Harry. "Now hand us the prophecy." he commanded.

"You do anything to us and I'll break it." he said, grip tightening around the crystal ball. He barely registered that the man had said "us" rather then "me". That meant that there was more then one death eater around. It had become very clear to Harry that this was a trap, just like Hermione had said. But that still didn't mean that they didn't have his godfather. He could still be hurt, or worse, already dead.

Suddenly there was a loud cackle of laughter. "He knows how to play!" came a high pitched feminine voice. Bellatrix Lestrange stepped out from the shadows some distance behind Malfoy. She walked forward, her gaunt form sleeking up the isle to stand behind her sister's husband. "Itty…Bitty…Baby…" she pouted her lips out and bat her eyes. "Potter."

"Bellatrix Lestrange…" Neville mumbled, a hint of fear underlined the hate in his voice.

"Neville Longbottom, is it? How's mum and dad?" she asked, quirking her eye brows giving her a crazed expression.

"Better now that they're about to be avenged!" he shouted raising his wand. He was halfway through with shouting a curse before Ron jumped forward and stopped him. They were surrounded at this point and starting the fire fight now was a bad idea.

Harry remembered how Neville had come to him and told him about what the woman had done to his parents. It was commonly believed that the pair had simply been murdered by Voldemort, or at least one of his death eaters. No one knew that they were actually still alive, if you could call it that. The witch had tortured them into insanity, leaving Neville's grandmother to care for him. Harry was pissed enough for his friend, just looking at her ghost like face made him grind his teeth.

Lucius slowly raised his hands, palms out, "Now let's…everybody, calm down. Shall we?"

Nevilled lowered his wand and took calculating breaths to calm himself.

"All we want," the man continued. "Is that prophecy." He gave his hand a small flick to point at the glowing orb in Harry's clenched hand.

"Why did Voldemort need me to come and get this?" Harry asked fixing the man with a glare.

"You dare speak his name." Bellatrix hissed. "You filthy half blood!" she shouted, lunging forward but Lucius stopped her.

"That's not right, he's just a curious lad. Aren't you?" the blonde man said without taking his eyes off Harry. "Prophecies can only be retrieved by those, about whom they are made." he explained. "Which is lucky for you…really."

The Death eaters that now began to step closer, slowly aimed their wands at the group. They turned around and formed a circle, their backs guarded by the others. Harry continued to face Lucius and Bellatrix as the blonde continued to speak.

"Haven't you always wondered?" he spoke in a smooth and quiet voice as he moved forward very slowly, hand extended for the crystal ball. "What was the reason for the connection between you and the dark lord…Why he was unable to kill you, when you were just an infant. Don't you want to know the secret of you scar? All the answers are there, Potter, in your hand. All you have to do…is give it to me." his silvery eyes darted down to the glowing ball and then back up to Harry's face. "And I can show you everything."

Harry paused for a long moment, staring down at the swirling smoke. "I've waited fourteen years." he said, sadness and misery dripping from his voice.

"I know." Lucius offered a sympathetic tone and expression, edging his extended hand forward even more.

"I guess I can wait a little longer." he answered, all anguish vanished from his voice as his head snapped back up to fix the man with a deadly, snape-like, glare. He had learned the expression well. "NOW!" he shouted, and on cue he and his friends cast stunning curses on the surrounding enemy.

"STUPIFY!"

Severus couldn't stop himself from fidgeting. Molly had insisted that he sit down because he was making her nervous. He was sitting at the end of the kitchen table, watching out the door into the entrance room where the grate was located, eagerly waiting for a flash of green to signal someone's return. Even just the smallest amount of news would ease the tension in the potion master's shoulders. If only he could know that Harry hadn't made it there. That the order had beat him, and were fighting off the death eaters that were sent there to trap his lover. That of course was the best case scenario. Worst case was that Harry had gone alone and some how managed to get into the ministry and was currently being tortured, until they could take him to the dark lord who would finish him off.

Severus' stomach lurched and he doubled up on himself, trying to concentrate on his breathing. There was a discomfort in the center of his chest that was slowly growing to an extreme pain. He had to see if Harry was alright. Sitting around was literally killing him. But he wouldn't go back to the school. He would wait here, because Grimmauld Place was head quarters and would be the first place they'd come back too.

Molly made sure to busy herself so she'd keep her mind off the children. He set to work cleaning the house in preparation for the summer visitors. So thankfully she was upstairs at the moment and couldn't see Severus in his weak state.

He reached up and clutched at his chest, trying to will, what could be described as pure loneliness, away. It was eating away at him as if he had swallowed a few drops of Venomous Tentacula Juice. Which acted like a poison but only made you feel like your insides were on fire and usually turned your skin dark purple. At least his pigmentation remained normal.

When he heard some rustling from the stairs in the entrance room he quickly repositioned himself. He perched his elbow on the corner of the dinning table and hid his face in his hand, the other still clutching at his chest, as if it could help ease the pain.

A few moments later Molly Weasley entered the kitchen, dust rag in hand. "Severus? Are you alright?"

"Fine." he managed to groan.

"Why don't you take some Peace Draught? I'm going to have a bit to calm my nerves, can I get you any?" she asked after a moment of sizing up the man's demeanor.

Severus lowered his arm and looked up at the clearly distraught woman. Evidently cleaning wasn't helping to distract her. "Thank you." was all he said, and that was enough for her. She gave him a strained smile and a single nod before rushing over to the sink. She opened the cabinet above and pulled out a glass jar. Then she reached into another cabinet and pulled out a small sauce pan. She flicked her wand at the stove, making a flame light up under one of the burners. She set the pan on it and took a wooden spoon to scoop out a sizable lump of turquoise blue mush and plop it into the heating pan. She took a few more before putting the lid back on the jar and setting it back in the cabinet. She set to work slowly stirring the potion, until it came to a simmer. She waited a few more minutes before shutting out the fire and pouring the liquid into two mugs. She brought the steaming concoction over to the man and set down next to him.

Together they sipped on their drinks, slowly feeling the effects wash over them. But it wasn't doing anything to ease the pain in Severus' chest. After all, it only helped with anxiety and anxiousness. It did nothing for guilt or misery.

By the time Molly Weasley swallowed half the draught she let out a deep sigh and smiled motherly up at Snape. "I'm sure everything will be okay." she finally said. "Dumbledore went there personally."

"Mmhmm…" The man nodded, not feeling the least bit relieved. "Dumbledore only went because I couldn't go."

Molly's brows knit together in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

"I couldn't go with them. I couldn't help."

"Don't you worry about that. You're doing so much for us already. Just short of taking out the dark lord himself." the woman insisted, reaching forward to pat his hand. I'm sure the others are well aware that you want to help, and we all know why you can't."

"Thank you, I think." he sat back in his chair, pulling his hand away and taking a gulp of the drink. It was going to take something more powerful then a Peace Draught to erase all of his fears. What if he never got to see Harry again? The last thing he would ever remember about him was the expression on his face when he told him, fully believing, his Godfather was going to die.

But he couldn't let himself think about things like that; not now. He needed to distract himself. Maybe, prepare for their return. They might need medical help, some salves or something. He could set to work on brewing some up real fast.

He offered up a silent prayer to anyone who would listen, that Harry would be brought back safe.

**A/N:**_ Harry: "I remember that. Well not the part where Professor Snape is worried about me, but…"_

aixelsyD: -gives him and incredulous expression- "I know about you boning your teacher. In fact I came up with that idea."

Harry: "W-what? I-I'm not-"

aixelsyD: "Uh-huh, sure. Now go to sleep!" -stabs index finger to Harry's forehead-

Harry: -eyes roll back and he falls unconscious-

aixlsyD: "Now I just have to wait for Snape to come rescue you."

Okay everyone! First of all, Venemous Tentacula Juice does actually belong to J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. Here is where I do most of my research, and where I found this potion. (.com/wiki/Venomous_Tentacula_Juice) I hope you enjoyed chapter Sanjuuyon, (34) and I hope to see you all at chapter Sanjuugo (35)!


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N:**_Seeing __as __how __Severus __has __not __yet __joined __the __party__. __There __is __nothing __I __can __really __tell __you__, __except __I'm __forcing __Harry __to __read __this __chapter __while __we __wait__. __Welcome __to __Sanjuugo__! (__35__) In the last chapter I made a novice Mistake of spelling Lucius as Luscious. Talk about hilarious! I was sort of in a rush and my computer has auto correct. The time I spend fixing what Microsoft Word "fixes" takes up most of the time it takes to actually write what I want. However, I went back and replaced all the Luscious(es) with Lucius. And I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you again for over 100,000 Hits! This is dedicated to all my readers who have been with me since the singled digit chapters, you all rock!_

**ATTENTION!**_If you are interested, I've made two movies for this story and both are on my friend's youtube account. The first I made is called Russian Roulette, the song I used is Rihanna's Russian Roulette. You may copy and paste this link into your url bar: _http:/_/_www_._youtube_._com/_watch_?_v=CNTPljkNGPc _[minus the underscores]_

_The next is a trailer for Bitter Lies, and is my newest video. The title for this video is simple, Bitter Lies Trailer. In this video there is some artwork towards the end that inspired this story. You might recognize a few scenes. Like from chapter Nana (Now who has been paying attention to my Japanese lessons?), Harry and Severus' first date. And the link is: _http:/_/_www_._youtube_._com/_watch_?_v=Sdfyi0blsYw _[minus the underscores]_

_The first piece of artwork at the beginning of the second video belongs to my friend Misa-chan. Who's Deviant Art page is where you can find a lot of art inspired by Bitter Lies. Here is the link: _http:/_/_misa-chan1416_._deviantart_._com_/ _[minus the underscores]_

Please check them out! And let me know what you think.

**THE VEIL OF DEATH**

"REDUCTO!" Ginny Weasley shouted, sending the curse flying down a long isle at pursuing Death Eaters. The explosion caused the shelves around them to shatter, creating a domino effect as the rest of the prophecies came crashing down to the floor. It took a moment to register the fact that the cascade of heavy, smoke-filled, glass orbs were getting closer to the group. They quickly spun on their heals and ran, as did a few Death Eaters, evaporating into dark, foggy forms that spun away to safety.

"Head back to the door!" Harry shouted over his shoulder. As they continued to run, they shot curses around them into the dark, causing the avalanche of crystal balls to grow. The door they had used before, appeared in the shadows a good ways in front of them. Some Death Eaters were already waiting to stop them from escaping.

"Relashio!" Hermione shouted, causing two hooded men to be shoved back into the blackness.

"Deprimo!" a powerful gust of wind shot forward, blowing two more off their feet and out of the way. At the same time Luna cast this charm, Harry cast the Expulso curse, making the last Death Eater's wand explode in his hand. With no way to defend himself he quickly jumped into the darkness and disappeared.

The group managed to make it safely to the door where Harry flung it open and they all darted inside without a second thought.

Suddenly he was free falling down a long and dark tower. This certainly wasn't the way they had come in. Wind whipped Harry's hair away from his face, and the air from his lungs.

There was a dim light at the bottom, that was steadily growing closer. Harry was certain this wasn't going to end pleasantly. But just as he was about to get real acquainted with the stone floor, he froze, just a foot from death. And just as his momentum faded he was dropped the rest of the way; knocking the air out of his lungs for the second time in thirty seconds.

Harry heard the rest of his friends landing in the same manner as him. Several of them screaming the whole way down. He stood up on shaking legs and looked around.

They had landed on a circular platform in the center of a circular room. Again there was low light, the only light was glowing off a tattered sheet that was hanging like a curtain in the middle of an arch. It was black which didn't account for the eerie blue light it was casting. As Harry studied the veil he thought he heard someone whispering from behind it.

He stepped closer and got a strange sense of someone standing just beyond it. When he rounded the archway, however, there was nobody there. There was more then one voice now and he could hear hushed conversations.

"Harry, what are you doing? We have to get out of here." Ron's worried voice echoed all around them, even though he had kept his voice down. He was staring up the way they had come, wand pointed at the ceiling.

"Those voices," Harry said trying to make out the hissing whispers. "Can you tell what they're saying?"

"There aren't any voices Harry." Hermione said.

Harry turned around to look at his friend with a confused expression when he saw Luna standing closest to him, her blue eyes set on the waving clothe.

"Now let's get out of here."

"No, I hear them too." the blonde said interrupting the bushy-haired teen. "I can't tell what they're saying though."

If only Luna and Harry could hear them, he had to assume that this veil was like the Thestrals.

"We don't have time for this." Ron said anxiety clear in his voice.

"H-Harry, we better get out of here." Neville stammered, also looking up.

"How?" Ginny challenged, she had climbed down the steps and was exploring the walls around them. "I don't see any way out except the way we came in." she said looking up into the blackness.

Just then there was a familiar cackle of laughter, making the group jump and look up.

"Get behind me!" Harry shouted, aiming his wand at the ceiling that he couldn't see.

Quickly the group stood together, all their wands poised and ready. Smokey figures slid down the walls with astounding speed before flying forward and spinning around the group.

Harry's visibility was zero with all the dark smoke. He could hear Ginny's screams as she was carried away from the platform and slammed into the wall. Hermione managed to fend off her attackers for a little longer then that, before she too was pulled away. Ron and Neville were next. Finally Luna was pushed back with a crushing force from an unknown curse. She was knocked back into the rocks that formed the archway, coming dangerously close to the tattered veil.

"Ooh….You vetter ve carevul of that, little girl. Iv you so much as touch that, you'll ve sucked into ze land ov ze dead." said the death eater that was attacking the blonde. He lunged forward and grabbed her by her long hair, pulling her to her feet and aiming his wand at her throat. He dragged her down the stairs to take his place against the wall with the others.

Harry hadn't had the time to react, so he could help his friends, and now if he made one wrong move, the death eaters could slaughter them. He looked around expecting another dark figure to come whooshing towards him but he was met with nothing but silence. He wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't sure how to help his friends.

It was his fault. He knew he should've come alone. Now it was going to be all his fault if they died.

There was a deep echo of laughter as Lucius Malfoy started ascending the stairs. Apparently he had arrived when the other's did, hiding himself in the shadows during all the chaos.

"Did you actually believe…" he said in an arrogant tone. "Or were you truly naive enough to think that children, stood a chance…" the blonde man made it to the top of the platform and stopped in front of Harry, staring down his angular nose at the boy. "Against us?" He thrust out his hand, palm up. "I'll make this simple for you, Potter." he spat. "Give me the prophecy, or watch your friends die."

There was a long moment, where Harry mentally debated, looking from Lucius to his friends that were around the edge of the room.

"Don't give it to him Harry!" Neville shouted, but was quickly reprimanded by his captor, Bellatrix.

Harry saw how the pain from the Cruciatus Curse washed over his friends screaming form. Harry cringed visibly. He quickly looked away and back up at the steely blonde, who was still waiting for his prize. Harry looked down into the swirling smoke of his prophecy. He didn't know quite what it meant, or rather he didn't want to understand. Because if it meant what he was thinking, that would mean he would have to kill Voldemort. And while the thought had occurred to him once or even twice before, he never actually believed he could kill someone.

He slowly brought the orb up, ready to drop it into the man's open hand, but he was giving himself enough time to really think about it. He wasn't sure what the value of something like this was to the dark lord, and he wasn't sure why the Order saw fit to guard it if no one could hear it, until Harry did. Why didn't they just bring it to him? What was the sense in leaving it here? There was so much he didn't understand. But now was not the time for asking questions. He needed to protect his friends as best he could, and the only option was to cooperate.

He set the crystal ball into Malfoy's hand, and as soon as it made contact with the man's skin, the smoke turn a foggy black, swirling with touches of grey.

Lucius closed his eyes as if he were concentrated very hard to hear something very quiet.

Suddenly there was a white smoky form that fell from the ceiling, landing without any noise and right between Harry and the man. When the smoke cleared away Sirius was glaring at the blonde, bringing to mind 'if looks could kill'.

Lucius had just begun to realize something was amiss, when the escaped prisoner spoke. "Get away from my godson!" he growled between clenched teeth. He reared his arm back and slammed his fist into the side of the man's face. It landed with a sickly crunch.

While Harry was happy to see his godfather, there was no time to catch up as all hell broke loose. More white, smoke people swarmed the room, choosing enemies to battle with. And suddenly curses were flying left and right. Harry had to duck in order miss getting hit with a painful and potentially deadly Expulso Curse.

"Stick by me, Harry!" Sirius shouted over the roar of the battle. Harry turned around to See his godfather throwing attacks at the surrounding death eaters. The younger quickly joined him, choosing to stand by his side. They shot curse after curse at them and finally Harry's Exepelliarmus hit Lucius, who was standing beside Bellatrix LeStrange. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sirius turn to smile down at him, and out of reflex Harry took his eyes off the woman to smile back up at the father figure.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" He heard the woman shout, the words echoing in his mind strangely as his eyes locked with Sirius'.

**A/N:**_Okay I've decided to end this chapter here. I've been debating with myself this whole time, trying to decide whether or not to kill Sirius. So, it's up to you, my readers. And this is how you can do it. Before this chapter started, under my Author's Note, I've posted an Attention Note telling you about my videos I made. If the views on Bitter Lies Trailer go past 100 by Valentine's Day. I will NOT kill Sirius. Also, on Misa-chan's DA, The more faves he get's on pictures having to do with Bitter Lies, the higher the chances of Sirius' survival are, if the views don't reach over 100. So that is your homework. Start watching and start fave-ing. I'll see you in Chapter Sanjuuroku, (36)!_


	36. Chapter 36

**SUSPICIONS**

When Severus finished the Peace Draught, he was feeling a little better, but not enough to keep his mind off the morbid possibilities. He made his way to the stove area where he managed to dig out some useful ingredients and a cauldron. He set to work brewing Wound-Cleaning Potion, Burn-Heal Paste and Bruise-Removal Paste. All the while keeping his ears sharp for any noise, other then from Mrs. Weasley's obsessive cleaning, that might alert him to someone's arrival.

It wasn't very long and two of the three potions weren't even completed when he saw a flash of green and heard, what reminded him of a heard of cattle traipsing around the entry room. As fast as was humanly possible, Severus had spun around and was at the kitchen door, looking out at the scene. There were so many voices it was hard to discern one from the other, but he did hear Harry's name called out several times.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's voice boomed over the heads of the exhausted and injured. Severus looked up to see the man standing halfway up the stairs, arms raised high, commanding attention. He didn't realize he was blocking Mrs. Weasley's way, who after a minute of restless waiting, shoved passed him and quickly ran to her children.

After everyone was quiet and staring up at the headmaster, Severus was scanning the crowd for one face, but couldn't find him. It made his heart race, what if something had happened?

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked, his tone softer, as he lowered his arms.

The crowd shifted, stepping aside to allow a beaten figure to come forward. Severus could only see the boy's back, but it was reassuring, none the less.

"First of all allow me to say this one thing. You are not to blame for any of tonight's outcomes." said the older man.

Severus could tell that Harry was about to object, because Dumbledore raised a single palm to silence him.

"For those of you who waited behind for us here," he started, his blue eyes falling on Snape. "Thank you for your bravery and patients. I'm afraid, however, to report some rather bad news."

"Sirius?" squealed Molly Weasley, who had been counting heads and trying to figure out who was missing. Her terrified expression raised up to meet the consoling ones of Albus Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry I cannot tell you everything, I was not present. I do need to return to the school immediately. I apologize for leaving you all in such a rush." He said taking the few steps down to the floor. He walked up to Harry and placed a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder. "Get some rest. I don't want to see you back at school for at least a week." he looked up and found the other children in the group, who no doubt had gone with Harry to help. "You all either." with that he hurried to the fireplace where he flooed back to Hogwarts to reclaim his office.

As soon as he disappeared the voices resumed, loud and hectic. Severus kept his eyes on his lover as best he could, and noticed him trying to sneak away upstairs. He heard a few of the order members volunteering to take Longbottom and Lovegood home. He also heard Ms. Granger decline her offer, insisting she was going to stay here with Harry.

When he saw Harry disappear on the top landing, Severus moved quickly, worming his way around the crowd. He took the stairs two and three at a time until he reached the right landing. He scanned the hallway and found the only closed door. Choosing that as his target he approached and lightly knocked.

"I want to be alone right now." Harry's voice sounded weak and tired, the sound of it seemed to stab the man in the chest.

He reached down and tried the doorknob, discovering that it was locked. But he could feel no magical wards. It seemed Harry hadn't learned his lesson. With a flick of his wand the potion master had the door unlocked and swinging open. He stepped inside silently and closed the door behind him, not only locking it but throwing up several protective wards; one of which being a silencing charm.

The boy must have sensed the magic and turned around to investigate. He was sitting on the farthest side of the bed with his back to the door, only now his swimming green eyes fell on concerned onyx ones.

"Severus!" his voice was anguished as he rose to his feet and hurried around the bed to his lover. "It's so awful! Sirius, I couldn't help him! I couldn't stop them! I tried! But Voldemort, he-"

"Shhh…" The man placed gentle fingers to chapped lips. "It's alright Harry, there was nothing you could do."

"There's everything we could do!" the boy shouted. "But no one will listen to me! Everyone keeps saying it's too risky, and foolish! But we can't just leave-"

"Hang on, first, stop yelling. I may have set up a sound proof ward, but it's not perfect. Second, what are you going on about? It sounds to me like you want to go charging into the death eaters' base and take revenge out on the lot. That is foolish, Harry."

"Not revenge." He answered quickly, the volume in his voice lowered dramatically. "To rescue him."

"Rescue?"

"They captured Sirius." Harry said pouring every ounce of dread his body could muster into those three words.

"Captured him? I thought-"

"You thought he was dead? Of course not, Sirius wouldn't go down that easy."

Severus was taken aback. He had misunderstood, and like always come to the wrong conclusion. "But Harry, that's…" he took a breath to give him a moment to think. Being captured was far worse then being killed. They would torture Sirius into madness, until he begged for death. Severus had seen a man kill his wife and infant daughter just so he could be allowed death's sweet release. He understood Harry's desperation far better then he realized. "Dumbledore knows what he's doing. Even if sometimes he seems a little eccentric. Harry this is going to be hard, but you're going to have to be patient. I'm sure saving Sirius is a top priority now, okay?"

He could tell Harry wasn't satisfied, but the boy didn't make a move to argue anymore. He was exhausted. Severus reached up and wrapped his arms around his love, "I'm just glad you're okay. I was so worried. I thought, I might never get to hold you like this again."

A smile touched his lover's otherwise torn face. "Can we sit down?" he asked motioning to the bed.

"Sure." Severus let go of the boy just long enough to take his position at the head of the bed. Harry crawled on behind him and leaned against him. "Are you too tired to tell me what happened?"

"We…we went there to save Sirius, like I told you in Umbridge's office." He started, but Severus interrupted him.

"How did you get away from her?"

"Hermione lied to her about having some secret weapon, so she wouldn't torture me with the cruciatus curse. We led her into the forbidden forest, and she was carried away by centaurs. I found it rather entertaining."

"She was going to-? That bitch! She deserves whatever they do to her." he growled. After a moment of silence he looked down to see Harry smiling up at him. "What?"

"I remember when that look on your face used to scare me." he said simply, then continued on with the story. He explained how they had gotten into the Ministry building itself, which was disturbing to Severus how easy it was. Then he explained the ambush, which Severus had expected. However Harry managed to skip over the part where Sirius was captured, which the professor had taken notice of but didn't comment.

"I chased after them. The two that had Sirius and Bellatrix. The ones with Sirius reached the floo before I could stop them, but I managed to grab her. Well…I did something I'm not proud of. I was upset."

"What did you do to her?" Severus encouraged.

"I used a very weak cruciatus curse on her, anyway she dropped." Severus didn't say anything, he knew he shouldn't, but he was pleased. He would've loved to be witness to that. "Then…something happened. I felt strange, and I could hear Voldemort's voice in my head. He was telling me to do it, to…kill her. He was trying to make me like him." Severus was taken by surprise, he hadn't expected the Dark Lord himself to be present at the attack. The potion's professor had been left very much out of the loop, and that frustrated him. "Then he was there." Harry continued. "I tried to stay in control of myself but I was…slipping. Then Dumbledore showed up. And he and Voldemort started fighting. I didn't notice when Bellatrix had gotten away." Harry interrupted himself with a mighty yawn and resituated himself against the older man. "Severus, he used Legilimens on me. I tried to use your training, but he was too strong and he got through my mental walls."

Severus dark eyes widened in terror. "What did he see?"

"Don't worry, he didn't see much…just a little bit, but I don't think he understood. I don't think he, from what he saw, that he put two and two together." Harry explained.

"But what exactly did he see?"

"An Occlumency lesson…and when I set the classroom on fire on accident. Besides various other memories that had nothing to do with you."

"Okay, you had me worried he saw…us."

"Then I would be freaking out."

They fell silent and after twenty long but pleasant minutes of Severus holding the boy close to him he could hear Harry's breathing slow and even out. He looked down at his little lover and saw his heavy lids closed over those mesmerizing green eyes, and mouth gaping slightly in sleep. Severus smiled softly and stayed a while longer like that, before deciding he better hurry up and leave before anyone found them. He carefully crawled out from under Harry, slowly laying him back against the pillows. The potion professor leaned forward and lightly pressed a kiss to the boy's scar and whispered, "I love you."

Harry had just finished packing his trunk and was heading to the great hall to say goodbye to his friends he knew he wouldn't see again until after summer. As he rushed down the stairs he could hear the low roar of the entire student body yelling over each other.

"Potter!" He heard as he had started running down the corridor. He slid to a stop and turned around to see Draco Malfoy step around the corner. "I was wanting to talk to you earlier this semester, but I guess you never got my message."

"No I got it, I just didn't care." Harry said flatly. "Well since you've managed to catch me alone, what is it you want to tell me?"

Draco's steely eyes narrowed in a fierce glare. "Shut up Potter and listen to me. I know Professor Dumbledore issued you some private tutoring with Professor Snape. Is that to continue next year?"

"As far as I know."

"I'm sure you didn't know this, and it really isn't any of your business, but…professor Snape is my godfather. And I noticed something strange this year during potions. It's the way you look at him while he teaches. I don't like it. And I don't like that you're spending all this extra time with him either."

Harry was instantly defensive. "What are you getting at Malfoy?"

"If you're trying to somehow besmirch my uncle's good name, you're going to have to answer to me. I'll be keeping my eye on you." snarled the platinum blonde as he shoved past the bespectacled brunette.

Harry just stood there, facing the staircase he had practically flown down, earlier. _He__doesn't__know__._ he told himself. _He__doesn't__know__for__sure__._ once he finally came to his senses he realized he had to go find Severus and tell him about Malfoy's suspicions.

He took off back towards the great hall. Severus should be there performing his teacher~ly duties, ushering the students to the carriages. But just as he was about to reach the doors a strong pair of arms wrapped tightly around him and pulled him back into a familiar shadowy alcove.

"Hey there." his silky voice whispered in Harry's ear, his hot breath brushing against his cheek.

"Severus, I-"

"Me first." the man interrupted. "How you like to spend a week with me, during summer?"

"Like…at your house?"

"Yeah. I already got the okay from Dumbledore, and my house has already been prepared with strong wards, like your uncle's house, it's enough to protect you from surprise attacks. Though no one will know you were there anyway. And besides from the memories of your life there, I was determined to get you to spend all summer with me, but Dumbledore wouldn't allow it, he'd barely give me a week. I said it was in order to catch up on your Oclumency lessons."

"Really? That's great! I'd much prefer the whole summer of course but at least I get a week."

"Great, then it's settled. It'll be mid July though, so I'm afraid you'll have to suffer until then. I'll send you an owl. I'm afraid I have to go though, they'll be missing me. You better hurry to the carriages." He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to the boy's lips. "I love you, I'll write to you." he reached up and pushed the Harry's hair out of his face and then pulled him forward to kiss his scar, a habit he had recently taken up.

"I love you too." was all Harry could get out before the man was rushing back to the great hall. Well he didn't get to talk to him about Draco, but it was confirmed that they were going to get to spend a whole week together, with no interruptions. That thought alone pushed all other worries out of the way and he practically danced his way to the carriages that were being pulled by the Thestrals.

**A/N:**_Hey__guys__! __Sorry__it__took__so__long__I__got__married__and__then__we__got__our__own__house__, __and__we__still__can't__afford__internet__, __but__we're__working__on__it__. __Thank__you__everyone__for__being__so__patient__and__loving__. __I__know__I__promised__to__kill__Sirius__but__there__were__so__many__protests__to__it__. __Consider__this__a__gift__as__a__thank__you__for__being__so__patient__. __I__don't__know…I__might__still__do__it__, __but__later__. __We'll__see__. __So__next__chapter__I'm__just__going__to__skip__to__the__week__at__Severus'__house__. __Anyway__, __that__was__chapter__Sanjuuroku__ (__36__). __Stay__tuned__for__Sanjuunana__ (__37__). _


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:**_This__is__chapter__Sanjuunana__like__I__said__last__chapter__, __I__got__married__and__we__moved__to__our__own__house__. __But__we__still__don't__have__internet__. __So__I'm__going__to__keep__writing__and__I'll__post__up__these__chapters__when__I__do__get__the__net__. __Thank__you__all__for__sticking__with__me__and__being__patient__. __Okay__! __So__last__chapter__I__did__not__kill__Sirius__. __And__we__finally__got__to__find__out__what__Draco__wanted__to__talk__to__Harry__about__. __In__this__chapter__we're__going__to__open__up__at__the__start__of__Harry__and__Severus's__week__together__. __Let__the__"Lessons"__begin__!_

ALONE TOGETHER

Harry sat on his bed flipping through the empty photo album he had received from Severus as a Christmas gift. They had yet to take any pictures together in order to fill it, but the boy hoped that they might be able to find time during the upcoming week. He sighed and moved to place the book back in his trunk. He had been packed and ready to go for over two weeks now; ever since July started.

His summer up until this point was pretty uneventful his uncle and aunt had taken his cousin to Costa Maya for a summer-long vacation and had left Harry alone. Harry loved being away from his only surviving relatives, except that after the first two weeks of summer his food supply slowly dwindled until there was only half a packet of stale crackers and some fuzzy salami. He resorted to writing Mrs. Weasley and Hermione, hinting that he was hungry without outright asking for food. of course Mrs. Weasley understood and sent him all sorts of cakes and pies. Hermione sent him a bag of fruit and some celery. Which was a welcome relief after eating nothing but Mrs. Weasley's sweets.

He hadn't told anyone where he was going or even that he planned to at all. He had his trunk and Hedwig's cage sitting in the living room, anxiously waiting for his professor to come and rescue him. They had written each other back and forth a couple of times. But, as Harry had noticed, Severus wasn't much for writing letters. Which made it difficult to respond sometimes.

Just as Harry was sighing again he heard, what sounded like, an owl scratching at the front door. He rushed over to open it and a large inky black raven flew into the entry-way. It looked up at Harry with large yellow eyes. Tied around its leg was a small, folded up piece of parchment. He reached down and let the creature hop up his arm and onto his shoulder, before closing the door and moving back into the living-room. The raven jumped from his shoulder to land on top of Hedwig's cage. It gave a loud squawk eyeing the boy again, curiously.

Harry stepped forward and untied the paper. He unfolded it and read the neat, scrawl, that was unmistakably Severus's handwriting.

"_I'll__be__there__at__three__PM__.__"_

Harry was ecstatic and quickly looked up at the clock to see that it was three minutes until three. Harry's green eyes widened in shock and he ran upstairs to his bathroom. He quickly looked over himself in the mirror and tried to comb his hair with his fingers. But it was as untamable as always. He brushed it over to cover his scar before deciding that, that was good enough.

As he ran down stairs the clock chimed three and then there was a knock at the door. Harry practically flew down the hall to answer it. The door swung open wide and Harry jumped in the air giving the man a hug. Unfortunately when his eyes opened he saw Severus standing farther down the pathway, staring at him like he had just given birth to kittens.

"Ha ha, it's good to see you too, Harry my boy." said Dumbledore who patted the flustered boy on the back before breaking the hug. "Let's go inside and explain to your aunt and uncle, shall we?" said the man as he stepped around Harry and into the house.

"Um, actually, they're not here." said the boy moving to follow the headmaster, Snape bringing up the rear.

"Not here? Pity, how much longer until they return?" he said, now in the living room and stroking the raven's chest.

"Not until this next school year starts, sir. They took a summer-long vacation. They weren't here when I arrived. And the only reason I know they're on vacation is because I saw the broachers and receipts."

Dumbledore faced him, his eyes wide with shock. "My goodness. Well who's protecting you?"

"Protecting me?" the thought of the Dursleys protecting him was as unbelievable as Harry actually killing Lord Voldemort. "Well no one, I suppose."

"Oh, no no. we can't have that." Dumbledore said. "No no. you won't be coming back here."

For a moment there both Harry and Severus were excited, thinking that the headmaster would suggest that Harry just stay the rest of the summer with Severus. But that was not the case.

"I'll arrange for you to stay with the Weasleys after this week is done." He said, his blue eyes sparkling as he pat the boy's shoulder.

"Headmaster, if I may be so bold," Severus interjected. "Why don't you just let the boy stay with me, that way I can teach him further on Occlumency."

"Now, now Severus, I think…" He trailed off. Slowly the mischievous gleam in those blue eyes faded into something else, Harry couldn't tell. "No…No Severus. You'll be allowed this week together because I already decided. But no more. Had I known that Harry was-"

"I believe you are mistaken professor." Severus interrupted before Dumbledore went too far. His voice was dark and sinister, the same voice he used when silencing his classroom, Harry noticed. "Before you finish that sentence, I suggest you get your facts straight."

"Well if you'd just tell me, we wouldn't be having these misunderstandings." the sparkle was back and the old man was smiling again. "I still decline your offer, however. Poor Harry needs to enjoy his summer while he can, not spending it locked up in your dungeon you call a house. And besides," he added when he saw the potion's professor was about to protest. "We both know why he can't stay longer. It a huge risk as it is, just staying the week."

"There is that…" Severus said, sounding defeated.

"Then it's decided. I'll write to Molly as soon as I get back to Hogwarts."

"Why do I feel like my life is always being decided for me?" Harry grumbled under his breath.

"Hm? Did you say something Harry?"

"No, nothing."

"Very well then. I'll leave it to you then, Severus."

The dark haired man nodded but didn't say anything as Dumbledore walked down the entrance hall and out the front door.

"What was that about?" Harry asked looking up at his lover.

"He doesn't know anything. Just that I have an affinity for a male student of mine."

"Oh Merlin, first Draco and now Dumbledore."

"Wait, Draco? What about him?"

"He came up to me on the last day of school and basically told me to stay away from you. He's under the impression that…what was it…I'm trying to 'besmirch' your good name."

Severus let out a deep breath and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Well he's always been a prick to me anyway. He could just be trying to mess with me." Harry offered. "And I didn't know he was your godson."

"Yeah, Lucius and I were best friends all throughout school. He used to be a good guy, Harry. But the Dark Lord…He can change you."

Harry felt like asking what part of Severus changed, but he didn't. He wasn't sure he would like the answer.

"Draco is probably just stressed because his father was fired from his job at the ministry because of that ambush he planned out. And because it failed he lost favor with the dark lord. He's been kissing ass trying to get back the position of power he used to have. It's a pity Draco got pulled into all of this, just to punish his father."

"What do you mean? Draco got pulled into what?" Harry urged the man to continue. The way Severus was talking it sounded like Draco had joined the ranks of the death eaters.

Severus didn't answer right away. Harry could tell he was debating internally whether or not to tell him. "I'll tell you later. Right now let's grab your things and go to my house."

Harry was disappointed but he decided that instead of pushing the issue he's just bring it back up later. Maybe then he'd get an answer.

Harry watched his lover place a shrink charm on his trunk and let Hedwig out of her cage. He turned to the raven and instructed it to go with the snowy owl back to Spinner's End. Then he opened the door and let them both fly out and into the sky.

"Severus?" Harry started, a little cautiously.

"Yes?" the man turned back to his lover as he stuffed the shrunken trunk in his pocket.

"Have you…heard any word about Sirius?"

"Harry, the order is doing all they can with every bit of information I can provide."

"That wasn't the answer to my question."

"Very well, yes I have heard word about your godfather."

"That's not what I meant."

Severus let out an exhausted sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "Harry please don't make me tell you."

Harry's eyes widened in fear. "Tell me, pleases!"

Severus shook his head trying to decline but Harry was persistent.

"Please…" He pleaded, emerald eyes begging.

Severus took a deep breath and then reached up to brush Harry's hair out of his face. "They're torturing him. But I'm sure that doesn't come as much of a surprise. I know where they're keeping him."

"Where?"

"In the Malfoy's Dungeon at Black Manor." Severus answered. "The order has come up with a very good rescue plan, but there's still just a few more kinks to work out before they can execute it.

"but it's already been such a long time since he was caught, what if-"

Severus interrupted his by pressing his fingers to the boy's lips. "Harry, there's always 'If's' the trick to success is not to think about them."

Harry swallowed back what he was about to say and gave a weak smile.

"Now, let's get out of here."

Harry nodded and took the man's hand in his then together they walked out of the house and past the wards. Then, with a squeeze as a warning, they apparated.

**A/N:** _okay__Review__please__, __chapter__Sanjuuhachi__(__38__) __next__!_


	38. Chapter 38

**LIKE OWNERS LIKE PETS**

Harry felt like he was going to throw up. The world around him was spinning and when they landed he felt himself loose balance and start to fall. strong arms quickly caught him and helped him back up.

"Was that your first time to apparate?" Severus asked in a low and soothing voice.

"Yeah…It's sort of like a portkey, isn't it?" Harry asked breathing heavy, trying to calm his nausea.

"Sort of. But it's much more dangerous." the man explained, wrapping his arm around the boy's waist.

Harry looked around and saw that they were standing in a narrow alleyway as Severus continued.

"If you do it wrong, you could end up 'splinched'." He said leaning forward to push open the gate they were standing in front of, to reveal a well trimmed backyard. "Here we are."

As Harry entered he felt himself pass through several protective wards. The yard itself was small, but along the house there were flowers and plats that Harry had thought he'd seen before in Herbology class. Looking up at the house he saw that it shared walls with the houses on either side of it, and was bricked in dark red. The back door was painted solid black with a brass handle.

"Come on I'll give you a tour." Severus said, placing his hand on the small of Harry's back, leading him inside.

When the boy entered the house he stepped into a small laundry room with linoleum flooring that stretched into the kitchen and dinning room. The countertops were wood that matched the cabinets. The walls were stained from the frequent brewing of potions, and the scent of a recently boiling concoction was still in the air. Harry breathed it in deep and smiled. It was perfect. As if Severus was all around him.

Beyond the kitchen was a small carpeted library, that was probably intended to be a living room. But there were bookshelves lining every free space on the walls. There was a small desk in the corner, next to a large bird cage, and a fireplace on the opposite side of the room. On the far right were two doors. One was standing open revealing that it was a bathroom. Severus told him that the other was his bedroom. On the far left was another door that was closed. The man went over and opened it to show two staircases. One going up to the second floor and one going down into the cellar.

The cellar was dark and full of potion supplies and empty cauldrons. Upstairs was a guest bedroom and another bathroom. No doubt that Dumbledore probably assumed that Harry was going to stay in the this room.

"That's it." Severus said from his position in the doorway of the upstairs bedroom, facing Harry who was looking around. "It's not grand, but it serves its purpose."

"No, it's perfect." Harry commented. He was already seeing visions of the future together in this house. Severus would be working on his potions and Harry could be working outside in the garden. It seemed childish to dream of such a simple life, but the thought alone made the boy feel warm all over, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Well I wouldn't say perfect, but it'll do. I was brewing some boil-remover to restock the infirmary at Hogwarts. Could you help me separate it into bottles?" Severus asked. "It should be finished chilling by now."

"Sure, I don't mind helping." Harry said.

"Oh, but first…" The man reached into his pocket and pulled out the trunk. He set it on the floor in front of the bed and returned it to its normal size. "We'll unpack you in here, in case Dumbledore comes over to check on you."

"Ah, good idea."

"The birds should be getting back here soon. They can share a cage."

"I didn't know you had a raven. What did you name him?" Harry inquired.

I never bothered to give it a name." Severus admitted as he lead the way back downstairs.

"It? You don't even know if your pet is a boy or a girl?" Harry said following close behind the man.

"To tell you the truth, I only bought the wretched thing because I some times find the need to send letters, and it was blue."

"Blue? But isn't it black?"

"Look closer when they get back. You'll see. It's like my sheets at Hogwarts, only slightly darker."

"oh…" The boy blushed, remembering the last time he had seen those sheets up close. "hey, wait a minute. How long have you had your raven?"

"I bought it at the beginning of summer, though I haven't used it much. Your owl is a very good owl. She waits for a response before leaving." Severus said as he stepped into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a large plastic bucket and set it on the counter.

"So…you bought a bird just to write me?"

"Well aren't you full of yourself? I didn't just buy it because of you. I might need to write to Dumbledore sometime, or Minerva."

"I'm sorry for being self centered." Harry chuckled. He knew the real reason and it made him happy.

Severus pulled out to ladles and set them on the counter next to the bucket. He and Harry then went downstairs to collect about twelve bottles, all identical. When they returned to the kitchen they spread the bottles out and began dividing the green goop into them.

By the time they were finished they had made a mess of the countertop, Harry more so then Severus. It was when they were cleaning up that they heard a tapping at the front door. Severus walked through the study and answered it, allowing two birds to fly in. Hedwig flew straight to Harry, taking a perch on his shoulder. Her feathers were ruffled up and she was so poofed out, you could barely see her beak. Harry hadn't seen her this angry or upset since Uncle Vernon had put a lock on her cage so Harry couldn't send letters to his friends.

Harry looked up and saw the raven perched on top of its cage and looking very smug.

"I think it's a boy." Severus said after taking in both their current states. "Way to go." he said approaching the raven to stroke its breast. "So that's why they took so long."

"I don't think so. We're going to have to go back and get her cage. I'm not letting him come near her again." Harry protested reaching up to try and calm his feather friend.

Severus chuckled and gave Harry a sly grin. "Who's to say she didn't want it?"

"Look at her. Does she look happy to you?"

Severus only grinned at his lover until Harry's expression changed. "Are you trying to compare this to our relationship?"

Severus shrugged his shoulders, "It started out the same way."

Harry turned and addressed the snowy owl. "Run, get out of it while you still can."

"Oh come now, it's not that bad." Severus stepped forward and pulled Harry close to him. Hedwig squawked in protest and flew to the top of a bookshelf.

Severus's lips found their way to the boy's neck and danced up it to his jaw. "Mmm…" he purred low and deep. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time."

Harry bit his lip in excitement. It had been a long time since he and Severus had been able to be together like this.

"Harry, how about I show you the bedroom?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Harry said before leaning up and pressing his lips to the man's.

When they pulled away they were bother breathless and needy. "Right this way then Mr. Potter." said the man, pulling his lover towards the closed door. "I stopped by a muggle shop and picked up a few things. I thought we could play around with a few of them and see what we liked."

"Oh, that sounds interesting." Harry said with a chuckle before Severus opened the door and ushered him in.

There was a large king sized bed taking up most of the room. Two night stands on either side. One had a lit lamp that cast a golden glow over the silvery blue comforter and matching pillow cases. There was a door standing open at the end of the room showing a closet full of Severus's black attire. On the middle of the bed was a small, black, carry-on suitcase.

The man walked over to it, as Harry closed the door behind him. Severus unzipped the bag and spread its contents out on the bed. Harry looked at it all curiously. He cleared his throat in nervousness, "Wow, um…over half of this stuff I have no idea what it's for. The rest, I feel dirty just thinking about it."

Severus reached out and pulled the boy flush against him. "We have all week, we can always play with them later."

"Okay," said Harry. He felt a little intimidated by all the sex toys, and some what embarrassed that he didn't know how to use some of them. The bruise-free rope was easy enough, along with the warming lube. But the way some of the others were shaped he wasn't sure they were meant to be used by two men.

Severus let him go and quickly put everything away, except the lube. He set the bottle on the nightstand before turning back to his lover. He reached out and took Harry's hand. They smiled at each other for a long moment before the man brushed Harry's hair out of the way and pressed his thin lips to the boy's scar. "Harry…" he whispered against his skin. "I don't want to just have sex with you."

"I know that." Harry responded.

"I want to make love to you." He finished his hand moving to rest on the boy's neck. "I don't want to just say 'I love you', I want to prove it. I know you believe me when I say it, but it's not enough. I want to show you just how much I love you. I wish I could tell everyone. I'd shout it from the rooftops if I could."

Harry chuckled and moved to look the man in the eye. "No you wouldn't. That's not like you at all Severus."

The potion's master let out a sigh and nodded in agreement. "I know." he said. "But I'd change for you."

"I don't want you to change. If you did I wouldn't be with you. I'm in love with you, the way you are right now."

Severus smiled and leaned down to kiss his love. When they pulled away, Harry smirked.

"Hey, I have an idea. This might help you. For the rest of tonight, and maybe tomorrow, how about we don't talk to each other?" Harry suggested.

"What?" Severus was a little offended, he was clearly misunderstanding. It wouldn't be the first time.

"No, no, I meant we stop communicating with words. Let's tell each other how much we love each other with touches and kisses. That sort of thing." Harry explained. "We can show each other, rather then tell each other."

Severus liked the sound of that. That meant there would be a lot of touching. "Wait," he said. "Do noises count as words?" He asked.

"No, they don't." Harry answered with a sly grin.

Severus nodded and then reached out pulling Harry in for another kiss. Only just before their lips met, he veered and kissed just below Harry's ear. His arms snaked around the boy's waist as his lips and tongue explored the side of his neck. One knee wormed its way between Harry's legs, rubbing his inner thigh to his student's.

Harry's hands clutched at the front of the man's black shirt. He decided he'd be patient and let his lover take control of their silent conversation; at least for now. He might be able to find some time later to "tell" him how much Severus meant to him.

He could feel Severus's long fingers inch under his shirt, desperate for skin to skin contact. The man practically purred when his cool digits brushed soft and creamy skin. Severus wanted so back to talk; to tell his lover his exact intentions instead he just moved his hands further up, feeling the boy's taught muscles ripple beneath his smooth skin, as he pushed up his over-sized t-shirt.

Harry raised his arms above his head so that the man would have an easier time undressing him.

Severus pulled the shirt off his lover and tossed it behind him. His hands found their way to Harry's hips again, before slowly moving up his sides. He placed feather-light kisses over his collar bone. His fingers reached up to pinch a pink nipple, electing a soft whimper from Harry's lips. Severus smirked before grazing his teeth over the boy's sensitive earlobes.

Harry was trying his hardest not to call out the man's name. as he suffered his onslaught of affections. Severus slowly turned him around and before he knew it, the man had pulled his legs out from under him and Harry went tumbling back onto the bed, with a yelp.

Severus chuckled at the boy's surprise. He leaved over him and pushed the suite case over the opposite edge. While he hovered over his love, he gave him a lusty smirk, before closing the distance and crushing his lips to Harry's. While he had him distracted, Snape's hand snaked its way down Harry's front to cup the boy's clothed erection.

Harry jumped slightly and made a small noise, that was silenced by the man's forceful kiss. Severus kneaded the steadily hardening lump with a skilled hand.

When he pulled away from the kiss, he smiled down at his lover before working the fastening of his pants. Once he pulled them off and Harry was completely exposed to him, he reached up and pealed his shirt off while eyeing the lithe body beneath him. He groaned low in his chest at the sight.

He leaned forward again, his lips a whisper away from Harry's as their eyes locked he tried to convey his feelings through his inky black stare.

Harry's expression shifted slightly, his emerald eyes sparkling, as he wrapped his arms around the man's neck. He leaned up and finished his wordless sentence with a soft and passionate kiss.

'I love you too,' thought Severus before they broke the kiss, both of them panting. The man moved, allowing his body to slide down Harry's form, until he was standing on his knees between the boy's thighs.

Harry eyes the man unbelievingly. Was he really about to do what Harry thought he was?

As if to answer the boy's unspoken question, Severus smirked before taking Harry's weeping member between his lips.

Harry's breath caught and his green eyes glazed over as he watched the man slowly swallow him down. A moan escaped his abused and swollen lips, as the man reached the base and slowly pulled back, his cheeks hallowing from the suction.

After a few more rounds, Severus pulled away only long enough to grab the lube from the nightstand, and then his mouth was back.

Harry had whimpered at the sudden loss, but moaned happily when it was returned. He felt something warm and slick tickle his entrance, and smelled the unfamiliar scent of watermelon.

Severus pressed his lubed digit passed the tight ring of muscles, electing a delicious moan from his lover. After the man started pushing the other in, Harry's hand found its way to his head, his fingers tangling themselves in his inky black hair. The man pulled back, letting his tongue drag up the underside of Harry's manhood.

"Ngh! Sev-!" Harry caught himself about to speak, and quickly covered his mouth. He needed to warn the man that if he kept that up it wouldn't be long at all until he would cum. As the third finger was pushed inside him, stretching his opening, Severus did the little trick with his tongue again, his fingers curling up to attack his prostate. Harry's whole body began to twitch as he tried desperately to hold his orgasm at bay.

Severus chuckled around the length, tasting pre as it leaked in his mouth. His fingers savagely worked Harry's entrance and prostate, spreading the self warming, and watermelon flavored, lubricant all over the boy's insides.

Harry had to remind himself to breath, several times. The boy found himself hunched over his lover, body stiff from concentrating so hard. He could feel the heat rising in his face as his grip in the man's hair tightened. He was certain he wouldn't be able to hold on any longer.

"Aah…aah…AAH!" Harry cried out, tossing his body back, as if it were a spring that was finally set free. His whole torso arched upward, off the bed, as he came inside the man't mouth. The boy's grip in Severus's hair went lax as his arms dropped to his sides and small explosions of light erupted in Harry's vision.

The first thing Severus noticed was the way Harry's muscles suddenly sucked his fingers in, flexing all around him. The second was Harry's violent reaction. The third, of course, was the taste of the boy quickly filling his mouth; it was not very pleasant, but he was proud of himself, despite the horrible taste. Severus quickly swallowed Harry's seed and leaned back. He watched with glee as the boy's chest rose and fell with each rapid breath. He could tell that Harry had enjoyed himself. But it was far from over.

Severus pulled his fingers out and quickly undid his pants, allowing his member to expose itself feely. With his lubed up fingers he stroked himself a few times, until the lube was spread evenly over his organ.

He leaned over Harry, using his elbow to balance himself and the other hand to guide himself to Harry's entrance. Slowly he pushed himself in, sliding past the tight ring of muscles easily. Suddenly the boy's warmth was surrounding him adding to the already warm lubricant they were using.

Harry raised his legs to make it easier for Severus His hands held on tightly behind his knees. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of the man deep inside him. He moaned loudly when his professor hit his prostate, sending shivers throughout his body.

They weaved together so perfectly, their bodies hot and breath, heavy. Several times their eyes locked and they shared a silent moment, where nothing needed to be said. Kiss after kiss and touch after touch. They stayed together like that for a beautiful time, in an unbreakable mold. Until Severus couldn't hold on any longer and released himself inside his young lover, Harry finishing off, for the second time, in the man's hand.

After a while of rest, Severus threw a quick cleansing charm over the both of them. It tingled pleasantly as it removed all the strange bodily fluids.

Severus helped the boy out of bed, but before he could get dressed, the man pulled him close and gave him a sweet and tender kiss on the lips. "I don't think we need to keep playing." He said softly. "We said plenty just then."

"Alright, for now." Harry responded. "But I'd like to do that again sometime."

"Then it's settled." Severus gave him one more kiss before letting him go to begin his search for his shirt.

**A/N:** _Hey __everyone__! __I __know __this __was __a __super __long __chapter__. __Thank __you __for __reading __and __thank __you __for __being __so __patient__. __So __I __just __came __up __with __this __idea __on __the __fly __and __I __strongly __recommend __trying __this __out. __Only __to __those __of __you __who __are __in __a __very __committed__, __and __physical__, __relationship__. __I__, __personally__, __wouldn't __test __this __with __anyone __I __have __not __yet __been __"physical" __with__. __It __might __hurt__, __rather __then __excite__, __the __relationship__._

_They're not going to be that big of a side story, (I mostly just did this for fun), but tell me what you guys think about Hedwig and the raven? Give me your feedback. Also does anyone have any name ideas for the raven?_

_Thanks for reading Chapter Sanjuuhachi (38)! Chapter Sanjuukyuu (39), next!_


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: **_Welcome __to __chapter __Sanjuukyuu__ (__39__)! __We're __almost __to __forty__! __Woo__-__hoo__!_

**THE CONTRACT**

Severus and Harry had a long and wonderful week together. They studied Occlumency and Harry was just starting to get the hang of it again when they found their week over.

Harry was all packed up and ready to head to the burrow. He had already sent Hedwig ahead of him and now stood in the library with his Potion's Professor, shrunken trunk in his jacket pocket.

Severus heaved a dejected sigh, "Well," he started. "I guess this is it."

"I had a great time. I wish I could stay longer." Harry said, his tone a little somber.

"Harry…[_I __lush __you_]." the boy had been trying to teach Severus parsletongue throughout the week. However, he still wasn't very good at it.

Harry chuckled and hurried to stop himself when he saw his lover's disappointed expression. "[_I __love __you__._]" a visible shiver washed over the man before he fixed Harry with a sly grin.

"We have enough time." he said before grabbing the boy and pulling him flush against his body. His lips immediately found Harry's, as if they were part of a matching set of magnets.

"Mn…n-no…Severus we can't." Harry said once he managed to pull away.

"Why not?" Severus asked bluntly.

"Because, I'm expected at noon and it's already eleven-thirty." Harry explained, a bit breathless.

"Apparating doesn't take but half a second. We've got plenty of time." Severus's lips found their way to Harry's exposed neck.

The boy moaned happily, as Snape's hands explored his body; squeezing and rubbing all the right places.

Just when Harry had all but given into the man's convincing persuasions, there was a violent pounding at the front door.

The pair jumped in surprise and Severus quickly covered Harry's mouth, afraid he might say something and reveal he was there.

Severus slowly lowered his hand from his lover's mouth, making sure Harry wasn't going to say anything, before quietly walking over to the door and looking out the small window there. His expression and voice were a stone wall of emotion. "Just a moment." he spoke to whoever was at the door He let the curtain close and quickly hurried to his lover.

He grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him to the stairs. "Go to the bedroom, lock yourself in. with wards as well." the man whispered quickly. "Do not make a sound or move for that matter."

"What's going on?" Harry mouthed. "Who is it?"

"Death eaters." He answered and Harry visibly paled. "Bellatrix and Mrs. Malfoy." Severus answered Harry's next question before he could ask it, and shoved the boy towards the stairs. "Hurry."

Harry ran up the stairs and into the bedroom. He closed and locked the door, casting quick protective charms over the room. He sat down on the bed and stayed as quiet as humanely possible.

He felt like he had been sitting like that for hours. He was stiff and nervous his whole body shook from it.

Severus had closed the door to the stairway and hurried back to the front door. After taking a moment to readjust his facial features he unlocked it and let the two women inside.

"What took you so long Snape?" hissed Bellatrix. "Hiding something from us were you?"

"Not at all Bella," Severus answered with a condescending tone. "If you must know, I simply needed to get dressed. Today is Saturday and my day to relax. Now why have you chosen to interrupt that?" Severus motioned for them to take a seat. Only Narcissa sat down. Bellatrix walked over to the raven and eyed it like a hungry cat.

"I need your help, Severus." said the woman in the chair. "The Dark Lord forbad me to speak of it, but-"

"If the Dark Lord forbid it then you shouldn't speak of it. Put it down Bella, we mustn't touch what isn't ours." Severus said while eyeing the woman who had picked up something off his desk.

She fixed the man with a glare before dropping it back on the table.

"As it is," Severus continued. "I am already aware of your situation, Narcissa."

"The Dark Lord told _you_?" Hissed Bellatrix, unbelieving.

"He's just a boy. The Dark Lord only wants to punish Lucius. Why punish Draco?" Narcissa said, as if trying to understand it herself.

"I understand your worried. But the Dark Lord chose Draco for the task, surely he must have some faith in him to be successful."

"But if he is to fail…" the blonde was on the brink of tears, and couldn't finish her sentence. It took her a moment to compose herself. "He shouldn't have to do this…He shouldn't have to kill…anyone. He shouldn't be asked to dirty himself. He's a good boy…" Narcissa broke into sobs, hiding her face in her hands as her sister rushed over to console her.

"It'll be alright. What if I promise to help him and to protect him?"

"Oh would you? Severus, thank-!" The worried mother had looked up in excitement but was cut off by her sister.

"Lying snake!" Bellatrix screeched.

"Bella-" Narcissa tried to rebuke the other woman but was silenced by her raised hand.

"Make the unbreakable vow."

Severus's heart beat suddenly jumped from zero to sixty. The unbreakable vow? Was she serious? It was true he'd do almost anything to help his godson, almost. If he made this vow and it somehow turned him against Harry…

"See sister? He doesn't care about Draco." Bellatrix hissed as she prowled around the man. "He'll claim to help the boy, but when the time comes he'll just slither back in his hole…A coward."

Severus knew couldn't afford to loose face with Bellatrix LeStrange, it might cost him the mission. And as much as he hated the risk, he had already agreed with Dumbledore on this very matter. "Draw out your wand."

"Stand sister." said Bella as she pulled out her wand.

Narcissa quickly rose to her feet and looked from her sister to Severus and back again.

"We take each other's wrist." Severus explained, extending his hand as if to shake with the woman.

The blonde reached out and grabbed the man's wrist, while he did the same to her's.

"Severus Tobias Snape," started Bellatrix as she waved her wand over the conjoined hands. "Do you swear to protect Draco Malfoy from harm, to the best of your abilities?"

"I do."

"And do you also swear to help Draco with his mission, to the best of your abilities?"

"I do."

"And should Draco fail to complete his task, would you take it upon yourself to complete it for him?"

Severus hesitated, this was the part he had long since arranged with the headmaster. Dumbledore knew Voldemort was going to, at some point, try to have him killed. The old man had somehow managed to talk Severus into volunteering when the time came. It would not only solidify his position among the death eaters and win favor with the Dark Lord but it would also help the order. With Severus that close to Voldemort, it would be easier to help Harry.

"I will Severus answered. This whole situation only reminded him how impossible his relationship with Harry was. He knew one day he would have to betray his only love. He just hoped that, if by some miracle they both survived the upcoming war, Harry could find it in his heart to forgive him, yet again. He had contemplated telling Harry about the plan, so he would know that Severus would never truly turn against him. But it was too dangerous, especially with the mental link between him and Voldemort. That's why he was going to have to seriously crack down on those Occlumency lessons. Every time Severus thought about the future a familiar stabbing pain would pierce his chest, reminding him of the last time he had hurt the boy.

A golden chain appeared, criss-crossing both of their arms. The chain grew white-hot burning the skin beneath Severus's sleeve.

Narcissa winced but the chain disappeared before she could cry out.

"thank you Snape." said Bellatrix, replacing her wand and moving across the room to the front door.

Narcissa turned over her now throbbing forearm, showing raised, red scars; the mark of the contract. "Thank you so much Severus." she said. She tried to give him an apologetic look before turning and leaving with her sister.

Suddenly Harry's wards were broken, he was never very good at charms anyway. The boy was quick. In case it was a death eater coming to inspect Severus's house, he rolled backwards until he fell over the edge of the bed. Then he quickly crawled under it and tried to be as silent as possible.

The door creaked open, after unlocking itself, and heavy footsteps entered the room. They walked around for a while before stopping.

"Harry?" Severus asked eyeing the closet door. Perhaps his lover had taken refuge in there.

"Merlin, Sev. I though you were one of them!" Harry called out before slithering out from under the bed. "when you break my wards, at least knock and let me know it's you and not some murderous nose-less Dark Lord."

Severus hurried over to help the boy to his feel. When Harry grabbed his arm and used it to pull himself to his feet, the man winced in pain; the new contract flaring up.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked eyeing the man with concern.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. We need to get you to the Weasleys, before you're late." Severus said leaning forward to kiss Harry's scar.

"Did they hurt you?" the boy pressed, looking all over the man's body, but couldn't see any immediate wounds.

"No, well…it has to do with Voldemort, and I really don't want to discuss the war with you." Severus said, desperate to escape this conversation. "I wan t you to feel like you can escape from all of that around me."

"But Severus-"

"Please. Just trust that I'm fine. We can talk about it later if you really want to."

Harry took a deep breath and relaxed. "Alright. " He finally said, with a nod.

"Good, now let's get you to your friends."

Severus had led Harry back into the alleyway and past the protective wards over the house. Then with a final goodbye kiss, they apparated.

They landed just outside the burrow, in the marshes. Harry felt sick again, and let Severus steady him until he could recover.

Once he did they walked towards the house side by side, without touching each other. Never before had Harry experienced anything more challenging. Before they could even reach the front step, Mrs. Weasley was rushing towards them.

"Harry dear! So good to see you again!" she exclaimed. Following close behind her was Ginny and Ron, Hermione appeared in the doorway moments later.

"Doing alright Snape? We've got it from here." Ron said, grabbing Harry by his arm and pulling him away.

"Ronald! You do not speak to your professor so informally!" Molly Weasley reprimanded. "You get back here and apologize!"

"Harry, let's play a little two on three." Ron shouted, pretending he didn't hear his mother. "Fred and George are already setting up the hoops."

"Ron-!"

"It's alright Nolly." Severus interrupted the woman. "It's summer vacation. Now that I've delivered Potter, I'll be on my way."

"Well you're welcome to stay for lunch, if you like. The kids have all eaten already, but there's plenty left." the woman offered.

"No I should be getting back home. Thank you, though." He gave a polite nod and turned to walk out of the wards. He smiled to himself when he heard Harry's laughter ring out across the burrow. He wished the boy could stay the rest of the summer with him instead, but he knew all too well why he couldn't.

Fred unshrunk Harry's trunk for him so he could get his broom out as George finished setting up the hoops.

"Merlin, Harry, it must've sucked having to spend an entire week with the dungeon bat." Fred said standing out of the way.

"It wasn't so bad. He mostly kept to himself and taught me Occlumency." Harry replied while digging through his trunk.

"What was his house like?" ginny asked.

"Yeah, was is dark…and dreary…and dank…?" Ron asked. "Quick, some one give me another 'D' word."

"No it wasn't all that." Harry said pulling his broom out. "It was small though, but it wasn't crowded. It was…what's the word for it? Homey? Comfortable. Either way, I stayed upstairs mostly."

"Homey?" repeated Fred.

"comfortable?" repeated Ron.

"What did I miss?" George asked walking up to the group.

"oh nothing George-y. Harry was just telling us what a lovely time he had at 'Snape-Manor'." Fred joked.

"Lovely? Don't you mean miserable?"

"Come on guys let's play." Harry said, trying to change the subject. "Who's on my team?"

"Me." said Ginny, holding up her broom.

"Perfect!" Ron exclaimed. "Girls against boys."

Ginny reached up and smacked her brother on the back of the head.

"Boys? Don't you mean men?" Fred said with laughter in his voice.

After a while longer of cheerful banter the group separated into their teams and began to play Quidditch with only a Quaffle.

And after a few games they were called in for dinner. The "Girls" team having won against the "Mens" team, four to one.

The twins carried Harry's trunk up to Ron's bedroom while the rest of them got cleaned up.

"Hey, Hermione, when did you get here at the burrow?" Harry asked once he sat down next to his bushy-haired friend.

"Yesterday. Did you get a lot accomplished with Professor Snape?"

"Yes. But I'm still not where I need to be." Harry admitted.

"Well I've been reading up on it and your I think I might be able to help. Besides your training with Snape I could try to learn Legilimency and train you as well." she suggested.

At first Harry thought that it would be a perfect plan. But he quickly realized that if Hermione "penetrated" his mind and memories she would more then likely see who his secrete lover was.

"Thanks Hermione, but that won't be necessary, I'm doing loads better now, and if I start up with another teacher it might just confuse me, instead of help me." Harry B..

"Oh…alright then." she seemed a little hurt that Harry didn't want her help. He felt back about it, but there was nothing he could do.

School would start up again in a few weeks and he would get to see Severus again.

**A/N:**

_Severus: "Reducto!" the door explodes and Snape rushes in._

_aixelsyD: "You're late." stands up and tosses fanfic on nearby table. "What the hell took you so long? Do you have any idea how many months and chapters I've written since capturing poor Harry hear?"_

_Harry: "Let me go, I have to pee!" struggles in bonds._

_aixelsyD: "Oh shut up, you've held it this long. You can hold it a few more minutes."_

_Severus: "Let him go!" raises wand at aixelsyD._

_aixelsyD: "Oh put that thing away before you poke some one's eye out."_

_Okay! Chapter Sanjuukyuu (39)! Next stop Chater Yonjuu (40)! Tickets please! If you don't have a ticket the security guard here, [motions towards a very serious looking Grawp] will escort you off the train._

_Passenger: "But it's moving!"_

_Yes, we're currently going about 85 miles and hour. Tickets!_


	40. Chapter 40

THE USUAL

Severus had gone home and spent the remainder of the summer trying to keep his mind off his little lover. Harry was no doubt having a good time with his friends.

The man tried to remember how he spent the months of solitude, before, but nothing seemed to catch his interest. He wanted Harry back. He was going crazy without him.

Finally the day came when he would pack his things and go back to the dungeons at Hogwarts. Once he was settled in he piddled around trying to waste the rest of the day away until the students would arrive that evening. This was the worst part. The day seemed to drag on endlessly. He took the potions, that he had brewed over the vacation, to the infirmary and spent a few minutes talking with Poppy about anything else she might need. He attended the lunch with the other teachers while Dumbledore chattered on about lesson plans.

Severus kept his eyes on his plate as he willed the day to go faster.

"Severus:" Dumbledore's voice broke through his thoughts.

The potion master looked up a little embarrassed that he had been caught not paying attention. But he knew better then to say anything, this might be another one of the old coot's tricks. He merely quirked a quizzical brow.

"Did you hear what I said?" the old man asked.

"Afraid not, sir." he admitted, leaning back in his chair, his face expressionless.

"I said, Professor Slughorn has agreed to return to Hogwarts as the potion professor." the man flashed a mischievous grin, his blue eyes twinkling like mad.

"But…what about me?" Severus asked quickly assuming the worst; it wouldn't be the first time.

"you my friend will be the new Defense teacher." Dumbledore said as if it was obvious. And it probably was to anyone else except him.

"Wha…really?" it was about time the old man let him have that post. Severus had to quell his excitement so his coworkers didn't see. "I am honored. Thank you." he said straightening his features into his usual scowl.

"I thought I almost saw a smile there, but you are very welcome my friend."

After lunch Severus hurried back to his quarters to make up a lesson plan- or rather to go over the lesson plan he had already created years ago for just this occasion. He was even more exited to see Harry then he ever was before.

Harry was really the only person he had ever talked to openly about his desire to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. During one of their many small conversations last school year. Even though Harry was too busy and tired to do anything physical, Severus believed their relationship was made stronger for it.

While Severus revised and rewrote his lesson plans time flew by without notice. So the man was surprised when the clock struck six o'clock. The students would be arriving any minute, with the exclusion of the first years, who would arrive in their usual manner. The new Defense professor set his papers on his desk as he hurried to the Great Hall.

He took his seat next to Professor Slughorn who was in an animated discussion with Flitwick. In small group the students quickly filled the large dinning hall. Severus watched as Ginny Weasley entered the room, arm in arm, with Dean Thomas. After then a ways was Ron Weasley, who was glaring daggers at the back of Thomas's head, and Hermione Granger. Severus noticed the lack of the third member of their trio.

It wasn't until after the first years were sorted and the feast had started that Harry came shuffling into the Great Hall, a bloody rag held to his nose.

"Oh there he is." Slughorn said from Snape's left and waved violently at the boy. "I wonder what's happened?"

"Oh don't mind that." said Flitwick. "Harry always turns up injured at some point in the year. Once," Flitwick paused to chuckle. "He broke his arm in his second year and the current D.A.D.A. professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, tried to fix it and ended up banishing the boy's bones away entirely."

"Oh dear Merlin." Slughorn said. "That must've been a sight."

"Yes but, Potter took it all in good stride, had to spend the night in the infirmary drinking Skelo-grow." both men made a disgusted face as if they knew the taste.

"I did tell you he was accompanying Dumbledore when I agreed to come back to Hogwarts, didn't I?"

"yes I think you did mention that."

"yes well, he's a very bright boy." Slughorn said, turning his attention back at Harry, who was taking his seat next to his friends.

"I always thought so." Flitwick responded, turning to take a swig of his fire whiskey.

"Not unlike his mother…"

It was school and work as usual for the lovers. Harry would sneak to the man's private quarters two or three times a week. The other days they had their Occlumency lessons. Harry was doing a little better now, but he was continually "distracted". that first night back to Hogwarts the pair celebrated Severus's new position. Over and over again. Harry, and even the other students had to admit that Professor Snape was perfect for the job.

"I don't want to take Potions," Ron grumbled as he followed his best friend to the new potions classroom. "Quidditch trials coming up I have to practice."

Harry just ignored the insistent complaining of the ginger and hurried down the hall. They arrived right in the middle of Professor Slughorn's lecture. Everyone looked up curiously at the two. Hermione looked pleased and smiled at the boys. Ron gave her a tentative wave and grinned stupidly.

"Ah!" Slughorn exclaimed. "Harry my boy I was beginning to worry. You've brought someone with us I see."

"Ron Weasley, sir." Harry introduced the freckled boy.

"I'm dead awful at potions. A menace actually so I'm just…" Ron tried to back away but Harry pushed his friend forward.

"Nonsense, we'll sort you out. Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine." Slughorn said. "Get your books out."

"Sorry sir I haven't actually got my book." Harry explained. "Yet, nor has Ron."

"Never mind, get you one out of the cupboard, there." the teacher motioned to the cabinet behind the boys. "As I was saying, I've prepared some concoctions this morning…" Slughorn went on with his lecture as Harry and Ron fought over the newest and least damaged book they had found in the closet. Harry lost and ended up having to take a ratty and torn up textbook.

"…yes, what you see before you ladies and gentlemen is a curious little potion, known as Felix Felicis. It is more commonly referred to as-"

"Liquid luck." Hermione answered for him

"Yes miss Granger, Liquid luck. Desperately tricky to make, disastrous should you get it wrong. One sip and you will find that all of your endeavors succeed. At least until the effects wear off." Slughorn turned and unlocked a supply closet before facing the students again. "So, this is what I offer you today." He said. "One tiny vial of Liquid Luck to the student who can, within the hour that remains, manage to brew an acceptable draft of Living Death. Recipes for which can be found on page ten of your books." Immediately the students were flipping pages and fumbling with their books. "I should point out, however, only once did a student manage to brew a potion of sufficient quality to claim this prize. Never the less, good luck to you all."

The student went to the supply closet and grabbed the ingredients they would need. Harry opened his book and scrawled across the top of the first page was "Property of the Half Blood Prince." the boy thought that was rather strange but brushed it off. He groaned when he saw the state of page ten. All over the page was written notes, some even covering up the actual recipe. Harry looked up to glare at Ron for a moment, who of course didn't notice. But when Harry paid attention he saw that they were modifications to the recipe.

All of a sudden something slammed into the side of the boy's head. He winced in pain and looked up to see Hermione, eyes wide with shock.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that would happen." she said rushing over and picking something up off the floor.

"What was that?" Harry asked as he rubbed his temple.

"The Sopophorus Bean. They're impossible to cut." she grumbled as she went back her work station.

Harry looked around and saw other students struggling with the beans. Several times he saw a bean fly across the room. Some of the students were having loads of fun with them. Harry looked down at the book and saw the word "cut" was crossed out and replaced with the word "crush". he took his blade and used the to squish the bean against the desk. He grabbed it and held it over his cauldron, letting the juice drip from it.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked her tone was exhausted and frustrated.

"Crush it." Harry said.

Hermione turned back to her book and then back to Harry. "But the instructions clearly say to cut it."

"No, seriously." after that Harry followed the notes very carefully and by the time the class was over Harry's brew was the only one that was correct. Which was incredibly rare, the other students couldn't believe it.

"Brilliant, brilliant Harry." Slughorn proclaimed as he bottled up the potion. "Now everyone, Drought of the Living Dead won't actually kill you. Unless brewed incorrectly. Taken in the proper amounts and it will give off the appearance of death. Does anyone know the muggle story of Romeo and Juliet?"

Hermione raised her hand and the professor called on her. "Yes, Romeo's family was sworn enemies to Juliet's family and yet they still fell in love the tragic romance of star-crossed lovers. Juliet, in hope to run away and escape with Romeo, fakes her death. However Romeo believed her to be truly deceased and poisons himself out of agony. When Juliet awakes to see her only love dead, she too kills herself."

"Tragic." Slughorn commented.

"That's stupid," said Lavender Brown. "She should've just told Romeo what she was planning so he would've known."

"Well I don't really remember all the details, just the basic story line." Hermione explained.

"You are right." Slughorn said. "The potion she took in order to fake her death, was the one you all attempted to create today. But I'm afraid only Harry was successful so, as promised," The man turned to Harry and handed him the vial of Liquid Luck. "Congratulations." The other students seemed a bit perturbed. But Harry didn't care, he was too busy trying to hide the textbook behind his back.

**A/N:** _Woohoo__! __That __was __chapter __Yonjuu__ (__40__)! __In __celebration __of __reaching __this __monument__, __I __dedicate __this __chapter __to __a __very __eager __reader __SeverusPotterSnape__, __who __sent __me __a __message __saying __three __days __was __too __long __to __post __an __update__. __Lol__, __I __know __some __of __you __readers __who __have __been __with __me __from __the __beginning __know __that __it __might __take __me __months __to __post __even __one __chapter__. __So __with __your __persistence __SeverusPotterSnape __I __shall __work __my __hardest__, __please __don't __let __me __fall __back __into __my __usual __habits__._

_Severus: lowers his wand and glares at aixelsyD, putting forth all the hate he could muster. "Let him go. I will not ask you again."_

_aixelsyD: "were you asking?"_

_Harry: "Sod this!" using wandless and wordless magic apparates with a pop._

_Both aixelsyD and Severus: stare at the empty space that used to reside Harry Potter. _

_aixelsyD: "Now look what you've done, you've gone and frightened my uke away!"_

_Severus: "Me?"_


	41. Chapter 41

**ESPIONAGE**

"Okay, Harry." said Severus as he pulled out his wand. "I'm going to really crack down on these lessons. Even with all the…distractions, you should be further along then you are."

"I know," Harry was sitting in the uncomfortable chair he always sat in while in his private lessons with Severus "I'm trying, I really am. But…I would've thought you'd want to spend tonight differently."

"Believe me, I do. But you _have_ to get better at this if I'm ever going to have a peaceful night's sleep."

"Severus, are we ever going to take pictures for that photo album?" Harry asked out of the blue.

"We can't, not until next year when you're of age. Just in case someone sees them." Severus said with a sigh. "Why are you so persistent?"

"Because…I've got this gut feeling that…I don't know. Something bad is going to happen."

"And they tell me that I'm pessimistic."

Harry laughed and leaned back in the chair. He took a moment to size the man up and gave him a wicked grin. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather do something else?"

"That's the problem, Harry." Severus said, taking the few steps it took to cross the distance between them. "I do. But if you're going to protect yourself from the Dark Lord, you need to be perfect at this. And if you're getting this impending doom feeling shouldn't you be trying everything you can to prepare?"

"Yes, but today is special."

"Harry we can't." Severus said raising his voice the slightest bit.

"But-"

"No. And that's the end of it." the man leaned over and pressed his lips to the scar on the boy's forehead; a habit he had taken up.

Harry fell silent and let the subject drop. They went on with the lesson but the boy wasn't very interested. He seemed like his mind was elsewhere to Severus.

When Harry made it back to the common room Hermione was waiting up for him. "Harry, you're back earlier then I thought. Did you see him?" she asked when her friend sat down beside her.

"Yeah." was all he said as he stared at the dying fire in the hearth.

"Well how did it go?" she asked a little tentatively

"I don't think he realized."

"What? Didn't you say it?"

"Say what? Happy anniversary, I know we didn't celebrate it last year, but here let me suck you off." Harry said in an exhausted rush.

"T.M.I. Harry." They laughed together as the third member of the group stepped down the stairs in his robe.

"Heya Harry, I thought you were going with your girl tonight." Ron said, reaching up to scratch behind his ear.

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks before the boy stood up and stretched. "Nah, if 'she' didn't remember our anniversary I don't see the point in me trying to save my ass." Harry said.

"Here, here." Ron cheered. "Why is it women make such a fuss about it anyway. But your girl didn't that's great mate, don't lose her."

"I don't plan to." Harry said walking to the stairs. "I'm going to bed, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Good night, Harry." Hermione said.

"G'night, mate." called the ginger.

Harry climbed the stairs and left his two best friends alone in the dimly-lit common room.

"You tell 'im?" Ron asked as Hermione rose her feet.

"Not yet. I was going to but the conversation never swayed that way." she said.

"Why would it: it's not like he'd expect it." the ginger said giving the bushy-haired girl a wry grin.

"I'll tell him tomorrow." she said moving towards the stairs.

"You going to bed?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired."

Ron reached out and pulled Hermione closer. He gave her a quick and timid peck on the lips before letting her go. "Good night 'mione."

She blushed crimson but managed to sputter out a few words. "Good night Ron." She said before turning and heading up the girls staircase.

The Hogsmead trip came faster then expected, at least to Harry. The trio stepped into the Three Broomsticks and ordered some Butter Beers. Ron sat across from Hermione and Harry. They sat in comfortable silence as Harry watched Professor Slughorn talk to Rosemerta at the bar.

He had been called to the headmaster's office earlier that week and Dumbledore had shared a bit of valuable information with him. The old man had asked for Harry's help, asking him to get to know the new Potion's Professor.

"Look at them over there. Dean's a right git." Ron said glaring at Ginny and her boyfriend across the room.

"They're only holding hands, Ron." Hermione said before taking a sip of her Butter Beer.

"He seems to be treating her alright, so what's the big deal?" Harry said, eyes still on Slughorn. He was wondering what secretes about Voldemort the man possibly knew.

"I just don't think she's old enough."

"She's fifteen." Harry added.

"Harry started his relationship when he was fourteen." Hermione said, sitting her mug down.

"That's different. Harry's a guy."

"How is that different?" Hermione challenged.

"When guys hit puberty it's okay to date. But girls should wait until they're at least sixteen."

"You're only saying that because Ginny's fifteen. Next year you'll change your mind to seventeen." Harry smirked as he said this.

Hermione chuckled, "You're just acting like a good big brother."

"Hey guys I'll be right back." Harry said, jumping out of his chair. Rosemerta had moved on to other conversations with other guests and left Slughorn alone.

"'kay." Ron grumbled before gulping down the rest of his drink.

Harry walked across the bar and approached his potion's professor. "Professor Slughorn?"

"Ah, Harry my boy, so good to see you." the man said turning around to smile at his star student. "Have a seat."

"Thank you." Harry moved to take the seat next to his teacher. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine." Slughorn picked up his flask of fire whiskey and tossed it back, making a face as the heat washed over him.

"I didn't think I'd see a professor here." Harry commented, vaguely remembering some rule about teachers not being allowed to drink alcohol while on duty.

"Ah well you see, the Three Broomsticks and I go way back. I remember when it was just one broomstick." the man burst into loud laughter, the smell of liquor wafting around Harry.

Harry had to force a believable chuckle as he tried not to gag at the smell.

"Oh, Harry, I'm planning a small get together, with a few of the top students in my class. I'd like to invite you." the man said, his voice slurring slightly but not enough to impair his speech.

"Really? Well I'd love that!" Harry said, his face lighting up instantly. This was perfect.

"Great, it's just a small dinner. Please pass the invitation along to your friend Ms. Granger too."

"I will thank you. I'll go tell her right now."

"You do that." the man said with a nod, before turning back to the bar and waving at Rosemerta to bring him a new flask of fire whiskey.

Harry eyed the man skeptically before leaving him and hurrying back to the table with Ron and Hermione.

"I swear I saw him." Ron said, sounding very insistent.

"Harry," Hermione said watching him as he neared the table. "Why would Draco go into the girl's lavatory?"

Harry froze in his steps, sure this was a trick question. "Um…because he's secretly a she and we've only just now discovered this harsh truth." Run sputtered and chuckled at Harry's answer as his friend sat back in his spot beside the bushy-haired girl. "I don't know Hermione. Maybe he's got a girlfriend and they're shagging."

Hermione made a face before giving her retort, "Ronald has imagined Draco Malfoy stepping into the girl's bathroom."

"I didn't imagine it, I saw it. Clear as I see you here in front of me." the ginger insisted.

"How about we just wait for him to come back out, and then we'll know if Ron really saw what he thinks he did." Harry offered pulling his mug of butterbeer closer to him before taking a swig.

"Yeah, like…spies." Ron wiggled his eyebrows making Harry laugh into his drink.

"How adventurous." Hermione added with a smirk and a roll of her eyes. "Harry what did you need to talk to Slughorn about?"

"Oh," Harry was reminded of the invitation he needed to pass on to Hermione as he toyed with the rim of his mug. "Well Dumbledore's asked me to get to know him. Apparently he knows something about Voldemort. Anyway, He's invited us to some ritzy dinner with a few top students or something."

"And he invited you?" she asked to clarify. She didn't mean any offense by her words and Harry knew that.

"Yeah…called me his star student."

"That's only because you're cheating." he chided.

"I don't want to go." Ron said, cutting into the conversation. "Sounds boring, just a bunch of nerds."

Hermione and Harry looked up at their friend and smiled sheepishly. "That's good." Harry said timidly. "Because…he didn't exactly invite you."

"What?" Ron asked shocked as if the idea was inconceivable that Hermione and Harry would be invited to something without him. The group never did anything without all three. "He didn't?"

"Oh Ron I'm sure if we-"

"There's Draco." Harry interrupted motioning to the girl's bathroom, were the topic of their new espionage mission was now stepping out of.

"Maybe…it's a mistake?" Hermione offered. "Perhaps he thought it was the men's."

"Um, I'm pretty sure he'd notice." Harry said.

"Well that proves it." Ron said around his mug before taking a swig.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other in confusion. Not only did Ron's words not make any sense but he should be livid at the moment about Slughorn's party, and not give a damn about Draco.

"Proves what?" Hermione asked.

"That Draco's either secretly a girl who her father raised as a son because Draco was the only child and must carry on the Malfoy name and thus the legacy of the pure bloods. Or, he's a pervert and likes watching girls…you know."

"Okay, ew to the second." Hermione said trying to get the mental image out of her head.

"But the first explains so much!" Harry exclaimed in a fit of laughter. "He is an only child."

"Would you two drop it?" Hermione said. "It was most likely a mistake."

They decided to head to Honeduke's candy shop before heading back to the school. They were laden with bags of sweets and joking around about Draco's secret feminine qualities and…features, as they walked up the path back to Hogwarts. Up ahead, through the lightly blowing snow they could see a very large figure which could only be Hagrid and a smaller girl hurrying beside him.

"Wonder what's up." Ron said with a nod towards the pair.

Hagrid made a a strange movement and the trio realized he was carrying someone. They quickly hurried to catch up to them. Harry quickly noticed that it was Katie, a girl from his quidditch team who lay limp in the half giant's arms and the other girl was her best friend.

"What happened Hagrid?"

Harry and the others found themselves in McGonagall's office listening to Katie's friend tell the elderly woman and Snape how Katie had gotten a hold of the cursed necklace. Apparently she had gone into the bathroom at the three broomsticks without it and then had it when she came back. Harry, Hermione and Ron all knew instantly that Draco hadn't gone into the girl's lavatory by mistake, nor was he secretly a girl; much to the disappointment of Ron.

**A/N:**_wow __that __was __a __lot __of __dialog__. __That's __it __all __my __characters __are __now __mute__! __I'm __tired __of __dialog__. -__bangs __head __on __keyboard__- __okay __after __much __"backspace__-__ing" __I __am __ready __to __continue__. __So __this __was __chapter __Yonjuuichi__! (__41__) __I __hope __you __all __enjoyed it__. __And __I __am __forever __grateful __for __your __continued __patience__. _

_Okay as I'm sure you have all noticed where I was originally going with this story. I was hoping that while you watched the movies or read the books you would imagine my story in the background of what your watching or reading. However, and more then a few of you will be grateful for this, I plan on shaking it up from now on. I've decided to go my own route. While I will still follow the basic plot I will definitely switch up the filler. I hope I've gotten you excited because it's gonna be awesome! _

_So continue to give me your support and be patient as I write chapter Yonjuuni (42). _


	42. Chapter 42

**CONFESSIONS**

Harry found himself sitting cross-legged on the rug in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. Sitting beside him, chatting animatedly was Hermione, the Pavarti twins, Lavender Brown, and Ginny. The group was all smiles and laughing at each other's jokes. Tomorrow would be the day everyone left for the Christmas break. Harry wasn't going anywhere this year. He was planning on staying at Hogwarts, at least that's what the story was. To Dumbledore he was spending his break at Professor Snape's house for private study. To Harry and Severus, he was going to spend Christmas with his lover. Of course he would train in Occlumency as well.

Lately Harry had found himself surrounded by giggling girls all fawning over him. Of course he had no interest, he was getting his fill of romance from Severus. But the boys didn't know that. They were beginning to become a problem with jealous glares and snarky comments. But Harry didn't care, they were all his friends and he had every right to hang out with his friends even if they were girls. Besides he was gay, so it wasn't like he was any competition. Of course no one knew that except Severus and Hermione, so he supposed their attitudes were justified.

Besides surrounding himself with friends helped to distract himself from thinking about Sirius and what the death eaters were doing to him. Severus had told Harry that the Order's plan hadn't gone as smoothly as intended. Thankfully no one had been seriously hurt during the attempt to rescue his godfather, however they returned empty handed. And because of their attempt, security had been strengthened, so that their goal was now near impossible.

Harry was tormented with nightmares of his godfather being brutally tortured with forbidden curses and more. He was barely getting enough sleep, as a result his eyes were dark and he was very slow and lethargic throughout the day. Severus took notice and insisted that his lover try to get some rest when he would much rather be doing something else. Of course if it wasn't for those few naps he would probably have to take sleeping draughts to stay healthy. And it never failed that when he was sleeping in Severus's arms he would have the best sleep he could ever remember.

That was probably the reason Severus seemed so adamant about him staying with the man during the break. Harry could use a vacation from his troubles. And Severus was the only one to make him completely forget them, at least for a short while; long enough for Harry to catch his breath.

"Harry…" Ron's voice came from somewhere above the boy and the green-eyed teen looked up to see an irate ginger.

"Ron?" he asked in a confused tone. He couldn't understand why his friend would be angry, and it appeared that that anger was aimed at him.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" He shouted in fury, making everyone else in the tower look over. "You're flirting with all the girls! MY SISTER AND MY GIRLFRIEND! You're making a lot of people angry. You need to watch yourself, or else…or else…" the red head's face was growing redder and redder as he realized what he had just said.

"Wait…what? You have a girlfriend? Since when?" Harry asked rising to his feet. Hermione followed suite and moved to stand beside Ron, taking his hand she faced Harry head on. "Bloody hell…" Harry broke out into a large grin before ushering his friends out of the Gryffindor tower and to a more private place.

They ended up taking a walk around the Black Lake, their hands stuffed into their coat pockets, with the exception of Ron and Hermione's entwined fingers.

"Since when?" Harry asked, after they were out of everyone's range of hearing.

"Couple months now." Hermione answered, because Ron couldn't seem to find his voice. He appeared to still be angry at Harry and he supposed he would have soothe his fears before he would talk to him again.

"Wow, that's amazing. I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"We tried, but…well…" she gave an embarrassed shrug of her shoulders, smiling sheepishly at her friend.

"Well I think it's great." Harry beamed.

"Oh sure." Ron hissed. "And that's why you were hanging all over her, right?"

Harry exchanged a look with the bushy-haired girl, who responded giving him an urging one. She was probably trying to encourage him.

"Ron…" Harry started. "I wasn't-"

"Don't tell me you weren't, I was watching." Ron snapped.

Harry took a deep breath and tried again. "Ron there's something very important I need to tell you, and you need to listen."

Ron chewed on his lip, and Harry could see Hermione's grip on his hand tighten.

"I apologize in advance, but I've already told Hermione. I told her not to tell you until I was ready…" Now Ron was curious, he looked up with a guarded expression, trying to read Harry, to figure him out. "But I guess you need to know."

"Spit it out, already." Ron said; his form of encouragement.

"I don't have a _girl_friend." Harry said, trying to say it without actually saying it.

"So that's why you think it's okay to flirt with everyone? When did you break up? And why wouldn't you tell me about that?"

"No, Ron…" Harry took another breath and steeled himself. "I have a lover, yes…but…my lover isn't a girl."

There was an incredibly awkward moment where the wheels turned in the ginger's head. Four pairs of eyes were glued to his face to see his reaction, which was frozen.

"Not a girl? A…gay? I mean guy, gay, I mean you're _gay_?" Ron sputtered.

"Ding ding!" Hermione said, attempting to ease the tension with a joke. It would probably have been more affective if she wasn't sweating bullets and shaking with nervousness. "We have a winner."

"S-so you see, um…I'm not really flirting…I'm just…Hanging out." Harry said. He was so scared he was about to loose his best friend, because of something stupid.

"…gay…" Ron repeated the word a few more times while Hermione and Harry both held their breaths. "Oh, really? But you're Harry Potter, you could literally have your pick of the girls, mate."

They let out there breaths on that last word, because if Ron was still able to call Harry his mate then everything was okay.

Harry gave a sheepish smile, "Well…they're not really my type."

"What is then?" Harry could tell Ron was afraid of this question and that curiosity had outweighed the fear.

Harry smiled then and chuckled softly to himself. "Don't worry, I'm not into red heads, they're too…temperamental for me."

Ron visibly relaxed and allowed himself to smile at his girlfriend. "Now I understand why you've kept you're…uh, love life a secret." then realization dawned on him. "Hang on, is it the same guy that…In fourth year…raped you?"

Harry's face fell, he was hoping to avoid this. "Yes he is, Ron. No I'm not going to tell you."

"But Harry, he's not, hurting you is he?" At the look on Harry's face Ron continued. "He's not abusing you, is he?"

"No, of course not. Though I guess I can understand your worries."

"Don't worry Ron. Harry and I have been talking. And from what I hear he's more then made up for it. Though I can't decide if, when I meet him, I'm going to smile or hex him." Hermione confessed. "The way Harry talks about him, I can tell he's very happy. And as his friend, brother really, I expect your support."

Ron glowered but didn't say anything more. Instead the two went to teasing Harry about the possible identity of his lover, as they continued their walk before heading back to the castle.

The next day Harry said goodbye to all his fiends as they headed out the portrait hole, before going back to bed. It was another two hours before he woke up and got ready for the day. They weren't heading to Spinner's End until tonight. Severus still had teacher-ly duties to perform before he could leave, and as such was spent locked up in his office with paperwork.

Harry walked around school grounds, his steps leaving footprints in the new snow that covered the landscape. He was alone, with nothing to distract him from all his worries. Last year he heard the prophecy about him and the dark lord. And because of that, most everyone in the school either wanted to be his new best friend or girlfriend, or they despised him. None of it was true. The only truth he found was in Severus, and his closest friends and members of DA. They were there for him before he was the "Chosen One". all of it seemed so stupid.

On top of that he was supposed to kill Voldemort. He didn't know when, and he didn't know how. But if he didn't then snake-head would surely kill him, the second his guard was down.

Harry looked up and eyed the forbidden forest speculatively. It had been a while since he had gone to visit Grawp, but he wasn't going to chance it. Besides Hagrid had been back for a long time now and Harry knew for a fact he was visiting his brother frequently enough.

Then there was the issue of his godfather. Wherever he was, and whatever state he was in. Harry constantly blamed himself for Sirius's capture. It was his fault. If he hadn't fallen for the trap, laid by Luscius Malfoy, then that never would've happened. But, on the other hand. If he had just ignored the vision of Mr. Weasley earlier that year, and passed it off as a nightmare, then Ron's dad would be dead right now.

He tried to tell himself that it would be fine. Sirius would saved and Harry would get to see him again, alive and well. He'd tell himself that, but they were empty words echoing his mind. It wasn't fair.

Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts but it was no use, all he could picture was the face from his nightmares of his godfather in anguish as the cruciatus curse was repeatedly enacted on him.

'_Quit __blaming __yourself__. __I __told __you __it'll __be __alright__._' Severus's words warmed his memory as he came to a stop in front of the Black Lake. Those words became his mantra anytime Harry brought up the subject of Sirius. They made him smile to think about them now. As if he knew what his lover would say if he were standing right beside him now. He'd know Harry was blaming himself again, even if he hadn't voiced it aloud. They were perfect for each other and they couldn't be happier. He only hoped they could wait another half year until Harry turned seventeen and no one would be able to stop them from being together.

He supposed it was strange, being in love with someone so much older then him. So much in fact that he would be arrested if it was ever found out. It wouldn't be long now. He would just have to keep it a secret a little while longer and they'd be safe. Safe and free to love each other. Though he was sure there was some vague rule about teachers and students no matter the age, but that wasn't important. Not now once he finally got his mind on something beside his godfather.

**A/N:**_Woohoo__! __Another __chapter __so __soon__? __My __my __Lexia__, __don't __exhaust __yourself__. __Lol __okay __this __was __chapter __Yonjuuni__! (__42__). __I __hope __you __all __enjoyed it__. __Please __don't __forget __to __Review__. __I __hate __to __keep __throwing __around __the __same __old __threats__, __but __I __still __have __the __power __to __kill __Sirius __at __anytime__. __And __I'm __not __afraid __to __exercise __that__. __I __have __written __three __outlines__, __one __where __Sirius __is __killed__, __one __where __Severus __is __killed __and __another __where __neither __is __killed__. __I __am __prepared__. _


	43. Chapter 43

SHOPPING SPREE

"Do you have everything ready? All your clothes are packed?" Severus asked as he stood awkwardly in the Gryffindor common room.

"Yup, all ready." Harry didn't tell him that, had he not had to keep his cover, he would've been ready a week in advance; he was that excited to be spending the next two weeks alone with his lover. He had yet to buy him a Christmas present however, and was mulling over it constantly. What do you buy a man like Snape?

Harry was sure there was some hidden answer, and once he found it he was sure finding a present would be easy. So he searched through Potions texts and replayed his memories of the man. But the only thing he could really come up with was the color blue. Why was that the only thing he really knew about his lover? It didn't make since, all that time together talking last year and all he got out of the man was that his favorite color was blue and he liked to fish; when he found the time. But not just regular fishing. He liked to fly fish. Maybe that was the answer. Though Harry had no idea how to fish; he'd never gone before.

He hoped there'd be time to go shopping before Christmas came.

"Good." said Severus, obviously grateful he was about to leave this sea of red and gold. "Let's get going then."

Harry wasted no time crawling out of the portrait whole. Severus followed closely behind him the teen had his trunk in his pocket, shrunken of course. And together they walked down the stairs until they left the castle entirely.

They crossed the school grounds, their feet stepping in previously made foot prints by the herd of students making their way to the carriages. They heard a noise and looked up to see Hagrid step out of his house and wave at the two. "'ave a good Christmas, 'arry, Professor Snape!" he called out, his loud voice booming across the snow covered grounds.

"Thank you!" Harry shouted back, waving at his friend. "I'll be sure to send you a good present!"

Severus just kept walking, and ignored the half giant. When they made it to the front gate, Dumbledore was waiting with McGonagall and a cheery smile.

"Have you prepared yourself, Harry?" he asked with a knowing tone.

"I'm sure I'll be fine Hewad Master." Harry responded with a half smile.

"I can't understand why you're okay with spending your whole winter break with Professor Snape."

"Well you did want _me_ to teach him Occlumency, didn't you?" Snape retorted, "It's not my fault he's thick."

"Severus." McGonagall chided.

Harry gave the man a look before addressing Dumbledore and the elderly woman. "Unlike my tutor I can keep my comments to myself. Especially the ones about his skills at teaching."

Now it was Severus's turn to make a face.

"My god, Albus, they'll kill each other."

"I promise not to hurt him…too bad." said the D.A.D.A. professor.

"Well I suppose you should be off, then." Dumbledore commented with sparkling blue eyes.

"Take a hold of my cloak." Severus instructed Harry who did as he was told. Instantly they were pulled to the little alley way behind the house on Spinner's End.

Once Harry recovered, Severus helped him through the gate and wards protecting the house.

Severus, I've been meaning to ask, will we be able to make a trip to Diagon Alley?" Harry asked. "I haven't got my Christmas shopping finished."

"I don't see why not." He answered. "I haven't gotten any of mine done. Though, I only buy presents for a select few."

"Oh?" Harry inquired. he was now standing in the snow in the house's back yard, staring up at his lover.

"Yes, there's Albus, Minerva and my godson."

"You mean Draco?" Harry asked.

"Yes, and recently…you." Harry smiled softly up at his lover before allowing himself to e escorted into the house.

The first few days were spent in tranquil familiarity. The house was the same as Harry remembered it and together with Severus it felt more like home then number 12 Private Drive ever had. Once again he was graced with the images of the two living here together one day. They were not unlike the ones he thought about in his last visit.

Currently Harry was seated next to his lover reading a sizable tome about the history of Legilimens and Occlumency. Severus had hoped that researching the spells would help Harry better shield himself from Legilimens.

The man would point out valuable pieces of knowledge as they read, and would explain further, anything that Harry didn't quite understand. They also practiced other forms of defense. Since Severus was the DADA professor now, he could really help Harry learn new tricks for protecting and disarming, all of which was sure to come in handy in the future fight against Lord Voldemort.

Another thing they practiced was poison antidotes but unlike Harry's forth year Severus didn't poison him or anyone else, in order to test them out. And in their free time Harry continued to teach Severus Parsletongue. He was getting better that was for sure, and he was learning a lot faster then Harry was learning Occlumency.

On their fifth day of vacation they decided to head off to Diagon Alley for Christmas shopping. Harry zipped up his coat and tied his scarf around his neck. Severus entered the tiny library/living room with a thick black winter cloak on and an emerald scark rester around his neck and hanging over his shoulders.

"Festive." Harry commented on his Lover's outerwear.

"You're on to talk." He retorted motioning to Harry's scarf, which was a deep red with a golden "H" on each end. "With your house spirit you could be mistaken for Godric Gryffindor himself."

"Hey, Mrs. Weasley made me this scarf last year." Harry said looking down at one of the golden "H"s.

"Let's go Gryffindor." Severus said passing Harry, but running his long slender fingers through his untamable hair.

"Lead the way, Slytherin." Harry responded with mirth. They used the downstairs fireplace, because it was bigger, and flooed to Diagon Alley. Harry landed in the giant hearth with a sickly feeling at least traveling by floo was better then apparating and better still then portkey.

The street was filled with holiday shoppers in both muggle clothes and robes. Harry went over his list, mentally. There was Ron, Hermione, Severus and Hagrid. Maybe he could get some out treats for Hedwig , she'd like that. Severus was doing the same as he guided Harry out of the fireplace and into the currents of witches and wizards. He had to find something good for Harry. And something that would not only impress his lover, but would maybe be of some use to him.

After the two made a stop at the bank, they were ready to start their days adventures Harry made a pit stop at the pet store and grabbed a small bag of dead mice for Hedgwig. Then Severus left him to do his own shopping.

Harry ran into the joke shop and found something for Ron, then he head to the bookstore to find a book for Hermione. After all there really wasn't anything else he could get her. But before he could make it up the steps, he a familiar ginger stepped out.

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed happily.

"Uh…" Harry wasn't sure what to do he was supposed to be at Hogwarts. "Hi Ron."

"Dumbledore let you do some shopping, then?" The red head assumed. "I'm exhausted. I've been shopping for the past two days, and this one bag is all I have to show for it."

"Wow, mate. What did you get for 'mione?" he asked with a smile, successfully dodging the question.

"That's just it." Ron said, visibly deflating. "I can't find a damn thing."

"You want me to help?"

"Would you? That'd be great.":

Together the two looked around to find Ron the perfect gift for his girlfriend. Harry picked up a book fro her on the way, and something for Hagrid. Ron ended up buying a beautiful necklace with a delicate gold chain. The gold charm was in the shape of the rune Kenaz, meaning knowledge, and wisdom. Harry assured his friend that it was perfect. Then he told Ron he needed to find a gift for his lover. As the sale's clerk wrapped the necklace.

"Do you need help? Ron asked hesitantly.

"No, don't worry about it."

"Oh thank, Merlin." Ron said, relaxing. "No offense, mate. But I don't think I'd be much help anyway."

"It's okay. I'll see you after the break." Harry said with a grin before turning around and making his exit. However when he opened the door, he came face-to-face with Severus. Harry tried to hide his smile as Ron came up behind him.

"Professor Snape. I'm running into everybody, today. I'll see you, Harry. Thanks for the help, and have a good Christmas." he stepped around the two. Now that he was finished he wanted to hurry home.

Once Ron was out of earshot Severus, whispered, "Meet back at the fireplace in two hours."

Harry nodded and took off again. He hurried to the sporting store, a place he had frequented in the past, but for something more to his own tastes. However he couldn't resist browsing through the brooms once he got there. After he had satiated his curiosity he hunted down the fishing gear. There really wasn't anything spectacular, and how was he supposed to know what a good rod was or not?

They had a very sparse selection to begin with. And besides, all of these rods looked charmed to catch any fish. But where was the challenge in that? He was sure that any of these rods would not please Severus at all.

So with a dejected sigh he left the store in search of another like it, though he was sure he would not be successful. Having made a new plan, Harry hurried back to Gringots and had some money converted to the muggle currency.

He found himself at the back entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. This wouldn't take long. He'd just make a quick stop at a muggle sporting store and head right back.

The teen remembered how Hagrid had tapped the bricks, and did the same, but in reverse. The bricks rotated and created a door, letting Harry into the bar. He passed through, quickly, catching the attention of a few of the customers.

Once he was safe on the street, well as safe as he could be, being Harry Potter and in the open, he hailed a taxi cab and told the driver to take him to a sporting, store. Once inside he got some help from a sales clerk and picked out two good fly fishing rods, some reel and some bait. After he checked out, the same cab drove him back to the bar. Harry paid the man watched as the driver drove away.

He turned around to head back inside when he bumped into someone. That was twice today. But this time when he looked up his emerald eyes fixed on stormy grey ones.

Lucius Malfoy smirked triumphantly. This was perfect Harry was alone and in the middle of muggle-London. Thankfully it was only Lucius and not more death eaters. Then Harry remembered something Severus had said.

"_They're __torturing __him…In __the __Malfoy's __dungeon __at __Black __Manor__._"

Harry's expression quickly changed. Suddenly he couldn't care less if he was in front of muggles or not. He couldn't care less that this man was probably far more advanced in magic dueling then himself.

"Where's Sirius?" the teen growled out through bared teeth.

**A/N: **_Well __there __it __is__, __chapter __Yonjuusan__ (__43__). __What __will __happen __next__? __Will __Harry __be __captured __and __taken __to __the __dark __lord__? __I __did __say __I __was __going __to __shake __things __up__, __didn't __I__? __I __guess __you'll __just __have __to __suffer __and __wait__. __MWAHAHAHAHAHA__!_


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: **_200__,__000 __HITS__! __Wooo__!_

**THE COLOR GREEN**

Severus browsed through the selection at the jewelers. He looked around for something his lover might enjoy. It took him a while before he finally decided on the perfect thing. And longer still for it to be engraved.

He left the store with a small square box in hand and a bag with the other gifts inside. Harry's was still incomplete, however. He'd have to finish it when he could get a moment alone. It was amazing how much thought he had managed to put into this gift.

Time was up when he made it back to the large hearth. Many people were using the floo, coming and going, but there was no sign of Harry. That was fine, the boy wasn't exactly known for being on time. So Severus waited. His dark eyes watched the faces that approached, but never once fell on the warm face of his lover. What could be keeping him?

Harry found himself dodging a stunning curse into a dark and unpopulated alleyway. He dropped his baggage, not really caring about Christmas presents at the moment.

"Dammit Potter!" shouted the blonde man as he chased after him. "It's because of you, I've lost favor with the dark lord! And it will be because of you that I'll get it back!"

Harry's back was to the man as he ran for cover. A dumpster exploded in front of him, metal and trash flew all over the place. A piece of the lid hit Harry in the leg and he fell down, catching himself just in time to avoid kissing the dirty ground.

He was back on his feet in a second and tossed a disarming spell over his shoulder. When Harry reached the end of the alley he discovered it was blocked by construction equipment. It was just his luck. He turned around just in time to be hit with a cruciatus curse.

Severus toyed with the box while he waited, rotating it and imagining Harry's expression when he saw it. All of a sudden there was an ache at the back of the man's eyes, and his vision was growing darker. It was a strange feeling, one he'd never felt before. He blinked away the darkness and shook his head to clear the fog. He hoped he wasn't catching a cold. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself in reflex.

Harry rose on shaking legs, his knuckles white from gripping his wand so tightly. He threw another spell. But because he was still weak from the pain he had just experienced, he missed, hitting the already exploded dumpster, making the rubble fly everywhere again.

Suddenly Lucius shot forward, a wind tunnel erupting from the tip of his wand, knocking Harry back into a fork lift. He groaned in pain as he felt his body give way and he slid to the ground again.

"Ah…" the pain suddenly intensified behind Severus's eyes. his vision went dark again and this time the man quickly found a place to sit down. What the hell was going on?

The cruciatus landed on Harry again and he cried out in pain. His voice echoed in the alley and unbeknownst to the two duelers, it also resonated in Severus's head.

The reason Severus's vision was dark was because he was seeing the alley way through Harry's eyes, as if he were seeing his memories while using Legilimens. And the pain he was feeling was a reflection of what Harry was feeling.

Severus was to his feet in a split second and running down the street. He had to find Harry. He searched up and down every alley as he ran, but something was pulling him straight; pulling him towards the end of Diagon Alley and to the entrance to Muggle-London. But why would Harry be there? It didn't make any sense.

Luna love good was on her way back to the Leaky Cauldron. She was almost at its entrance when she heard a commotion coming from a dark alley. She moved deliberately, her steps soft and quiet.

When she made it to the mouth of the alley she was surprised to see Lucius Malfoy standing over a very abused looking Harry. The man was casting a powerful cruciatus curse at her friend, who was letting out silent screams of agony.

There was only one thing she could do. She pulled out her wand, and pushed her "Spectre-Specs" up, higher on the bridge of her nose with her free hand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she shouted, the hex landing on the man, freezing him and breaking his curse on Harry.

Harry looked up when the pain suddenly stopped. He saw how rigid Lucius was and knew exactly which spell had been used. He looked just like Neville did when Hermione hexed him their first year. He turned his attention to the front of the alley to see Luna picking up his bags and dusting them off.

"Hello, Harry." she said, her voice like wind chimes. "It's good to see you again." she straightened as Harry pulled himself up "Enjoying your holiday?"

"Not recently." Harry answered as he faced Lucius Malfoy. Luna approached wearing the same wistful expression as always. It was as if, having a death eater, and on e of the most dangerous ones at that, right in front of her was nothing new. "Thank you." Harry said to her, truly grateful.

"Oh, you're welcome." she responded happily. She noticed something then and her expression changed to curiosity. Her vision followed an invisible path leading out of the ally and back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"I cannot say in certain company." she motioned to Lucius's still frozen form. "We should notify the Ministry."

Harry nodded in response before attempting to walk. He stumbled, his body weak from the reached out and wrapped a protective arm around his waist, pulling Harry's over her shoulders to help support him. Together they walked out of the alley and back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

When they were out of ear shot from the man Luna smiled at Harry. "I expect we'll be running into Professor Snape very soon." she commented.

Harry's eyes widened in shock. "W-what makes you say that?" but just then the entrance to the bar slammed open and Severus rushed out like a bat out of hell. "wow, how'd you do that?" he whispered to the airy girl.

Severus immediately noticed the two and visibly relaxed when he saw that his lover was okay. "Ms. Lovegood, please explain what's happened here."

"I don't really know myself, sir." she answered coming to a stop in front of the man. "What I do know is that Harry was being attacked by Mr. Malfoy; Draco Malfoy's father."

Severus's face paled which was a feat in itself. "And what's become of Mr. Malfoy?" he asked.

"He's in that alley, Luna used Patrificus Totalus on him." Harry answered, motioning to where they came from. "He would've taken me to Voldemort. But Luna saved me, Professor." He added, giving his friend a grateful look.

"It's okay, Harry and Professor Snape, you two don't have to pretend in front of me. I already know."

They were silent for a moment, both looking at each other. Severus, silently asking Harry what he told Luna, and Harry saying he had no idea how she knew anything.

"your auras." Luna answered both of them. "Or rather, your magic."

"I don't follow." Harry said.

"ms. Lovegood," Severus voiced. "you your assumptions could prove dangerous."

"Don't worry, Professor, I swear I won't tell a soul." she turned her attention to Harry once again. "Do you remember when I said your aura was exactly the same as the Professor's here?"

"Yes…" Harry answered warily. He wasn't entirely sure about that, but he would humor her.

"And how I said it was like they were reaching out to each other?"

"They do?"

Luna smiled softly, "You weren't paying attention were you?"

"I'm sorry." Harry shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, while we were in the alley, I saw a very strong magical pull reaching out. It stretched all the way into the Leaky Cauldron, and I suspect it went further then that, as well, until it touched Professor Snape's magic."

"Preposterous." Severus said with a roll of his eyes. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Would you like to see:" she asked, reaching up to pull her glasses off. She handed them to Harry who put them on over his glasses.

"Whoa!" Harry was astonished at what he saw. Luna had a soft Lilac-colored glow around her. But the most amazing thing was that she was right. He looked at Severus and himself and saw a pale green glow centered at their chests and extended forward until they wrapped around each other. "That's out magic? You can actually see people's magic with these things?" to test it out he turned and looked at a muggle couple walking on the other side of the road. There were no glowing colors wrapped around them. "What does green mean?" he asked Luna, turning his attention back to Severus.

"Not just green, but pale green." Luna corrected. "This is a very pure color, meaning your feelings for each other are very true." she answered.

Severus scoffed, "You look ridiculous in those." He said to Harry.

"Maybe, but they're awesome." Harry beamed up at the man. "What does lilac mean?"

"It means I am feeling very curious, but innocently so." Luna smiled and turned her attention to Harry's lover. "would you like to see?"

"No thank you." He answered quickly, "I will not succumb to something so ridiculous."

Harry shrugged and took the glasses off, giving them back to Luna. "Thank you for helping me, and thank you for showing me, and thank you for keeping this," he motioned between Severus and himself, "a secret."

"Not at all, Harry." she said passing her friend over to Snape, who took his weight in a hurry. "Your trust is well placed. What about Hermione and Ron?" she asked as she handed her friend his bags.

"They know very little. They know I'm…romantically involved," Severus's jaw clenched. "With a man, but no more then that."

"That's probably for the best." She nodded. "And I'm glad that, whatever quarrel you two had during the Yule Ball, has obviously been settled." She didn't realize how upset she had just made Severus. "I'll head off first, and inform the ministry of Mr. Malfoy. Enjoy your Christmas."

"Thank you, you too." Harry watched as Luna stepped into the bar and disappeared.

"Of course she'd bring up the Yule Ball." Severus growled.

"Hey, she didn't mean anything by it. And besides she's right, it's been settled. Let's go home please." Harry said, exhausted.

"Yes." Severus agreed, but Harry could tell he was still upset. "Who's the rods for?"

"Ah dammit." Harry groaned.

**A/N:**_so __in __answer __to __the __last __chapter's __question__, __no __he __did __not __get __captured __by __death __eaters__. __THANK __YOU __LUNA__! __How __freaking __awesome __is __this __chick__, __huh__? __Okay __so __this __was __chapter __Yonjuuyon__ (__44__). __Please __read __and __review__, __or __I'll __kick __my __puppy__. __Please__, __think __of __the __puppy__._


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N:**_ Thank you everyone for being so patient. I really appreciate it. WARNING: sex in this chapter, fast and short, but sex none the less._

**A TOAST TO LOVE**

Harry and Severus made their way back to the little house on Spinner's End. Once they arrived, Severus took Harry's bags and sat them down on his work bench. Then he quickly turned his attention to his lover. He made sure there were no broken bones. He scowled at the bruises that were already beginning to form on his back. His milky skin and well toned muscles were now dark and swollen.

Harry sat shirtless on a stool with his back to his lover as he rubbed Bruise-Paste over the darkening area.

"That was very foolish." Severus commented. Harry knew exactly what he was talking about when he said it.

"I know. It wasn't going to take long at all, thought." He said "and I really wanted to get you something nice. The rods in Diagon Alley were all charmed and I was sure you wouldn't like those." Harry tried to explain, but he knew Severus was right. It was been shear stupidity.

"It still doesn't change that you went out in the open, unprotected." Severus argued as he finished his menstruations on Harry's back. He stepped back and re-capped the jar he was using. "I wouldn't be able to…you were so far away. It was a good thing Ms. Lovegood was walking by. You have incredible luck, Harry. Lucius could've…and you would've…"

"I know…" Harry said moving to turn around so he could look up at the man. "But it's good you were so far away." at the look on his lover's face, Harry continued. "Because I have no doubts you would've saved me. But then you would've broken your cover and the Dark Lord would come after you. You wouldn't be able to spy anymore." Not that Harry was really happy about that to begin with, but it was better then being on Voldemort's hit list.

"Yes…that would be unfortunate, but if I had to choose between your life or the Order…"

"I know. And I'm grateful. Do you ever just wish we could run away?" Harry sighed."Leave all this mess for someone else and go to a whole different country and start over?"

"Would you go alone?" Severus asked leaning against his work station and smirking down at his lover.

"Of course not." Harry answered with a smirk of his own. "You'd come to, if I asked you. Right?"

"What? And let someone incompetent take over my job as a spy?" Severus responded. "I don't think that would be very wise."

"Darn." Harry sighed again and pushed himself up. He was about to head upstairs when Severus stopped him, his hand on his arm.

"Harry," he started. "Something strange happened while I was waiting for you, and you were being attacked. It was like I was using Legilimency on you and I could see the alley you were in and I could feel the pain as well."

"Maybe because you've used that on me so much already? Is that even possible?" Harry's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I don't know, but we haven't finished that book yet. Something about it might be in there." Severus suggested.

"I could always ask Hermione, she's bound to have read it somewhere."

Severus game a small chuckle and walked with Harry up the stairs.

"I don't see how it's fair that we get to play with your Christmas presents early." Harry grumbled. "But I don't get mine."

"Quit complaining." Severus retorted. Early that morning they had apparated to the middle of some woods, Harry had never heard of, called Barren Forest. Though, it was full of ever greens and was anything but "barren". they hiked through the frost covered grass for about half a mile before coming on a small lake.

"Welcome to Crescent Lake, named such because of its shape." Severus presented the crystal clear water to his lover. Today he was going to teach Harry how to fly fish. Late last night Severus received an owl about Lucius' arrest and incarceration in Azkaban. He needed something to distract himself so he and Harry planned this little excursion .

It wasn't very good timing. With winter there were very few bites, but the pair enjoyed themselves despite the misfortune.

When they got back Harry was exhausted so he voted to go to bed early. With his lover safely tucked away, Severus had time to finish his present, and with only one day to spare.

The next day they worked on Occlumency and Parsletongue. Which never ceased to turn the older man into a rutting teen whenever Harry spoke the language.

Currently Severus had his "instructor" pinned to the rug and was busy molesting the soft skin on his neck. Harry groaned when the man bit down and then soothed the area with his tongue. His left arm helped balance him and the other was snaking down Harry's torso, worming his hand under his pants to grab his member.

Harry moaned loudly and bucked his hips into the man's greedy hand. This was going to be the best Christmas Severus had ever had, and it was kicking off with a very nice Christmas eve.

Severus pulled his hand free as Harry made a noise of disapproval. But the man leaned back and unfastened Harry's pants, quickly pulling them down past his hips. Then he pushed his own pants out of the way, they rode low enough for his length to spring free but just so.. He summoned the small bottle of lubricant and used an ample amount on both himself and Harry's entrance.

Harry cried out as Severus pushed himself in with little preparation. Severus' pace started out fast, there was no steady build up just quick and hard. Harry couldn't complain, the man was perfectly hitting his sweet spot, bringing him almost over the edge with each thrust. It was Harry's fault Severus was acting like this. If he hadn't told him in Parsletongue that he wanted him, then he might not have gotten this reaction. It was nice to see his lover loose control once in a while.

They finished just as quickly as the man's thrusts, Severus exploded inside him and Harry made a mess of his shirt. Thankfully Severus's clothes were unstained. His breath was heavy and panted as was Harry's they stared into each other's eyes each knowing the other was only temporarily satiated. Severus leaned back and watched as he pulled himself out, his cum leaking out around him. It was very beautiful, Harry's most private parts covered with himself.

Suddenly there was a small tapping sound from the front door. They both looked up at the same time. Severus groaned and rose to his feet. "Damn owls." he cursed before letting the bird in.

A large grey owl perched on a bookshelf and the man took the letter from its beak. Harry sat up and looked down at his shirt. It was ruined.

"Hell!" Severus shouted, surprising Harry. "Quick go upstairs and clean up. Dumbledore will be here in less then a minute."

Harry's eyes widened in terror and he was to his feel in half a second. Severus watched as he ran up the stairs. There was something oddly mesmerizing about Harry's naked ass as he ran. He found himself missing its presence once it was out of sight.

He rearranged his clothes and made sure he looked presentable. But he could smell _it_ in the air. He wracked his brain for a solution before deciding that the old man probably wouldn't remember the smell anyway, and left it.

The next thing he knew Dumbledore was stepping into his house using the back door.

"You give such wonderful notice, Head Master." Severus said in his usual snark.

"Thank you." the elderly man said with a smile."Where is Dear Harry?" he asked, looking around.

"The brat is upstairs." Severus answered taking a seat on his couch.

"I suspect he spends most of his time up there." Albus took a seat at the opposite end without being invited. "I brought a bottle of mead with me. I thought it would be nice to share, in celebration of the holiday."

"how thoughtful." Severus retorted in his usual droll."

They both looked up when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Professor Dumbledore, you got here rather quickly." Harry said with a grin."

"I'm glad I've impressed you." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his mischievous blue eyes. "How have your studies been going?"

"They're coming along." Harry said grabbing the chair from the little desk and positioning it to face the two men. He sat down and smiled at his Head Master. "Professor Snape has a book about the history of Occlumency-"

"the history of Legilimency, not Occlumency. But it does touch on the subject." Severus interrupted. "I theorized, that with a proper understanding of the spell he will better shield himself. Of course this is Potter we're working with."

Harry rolled his eyes at the interruption but fell silent. He sat quietly while Dumbledore and Severus chatted about different teaching methods. They moved on to different teachers and then to historical figures and war strategies. They finally ended their conversation after reaching mythological figures and their possible motivations.

"I brought you a present, Harry!" Dumbledore exclaimed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small satin bag. "You can't open it until tomorrow though. It wouldn't be right."

"Of course, Professor." Harry said, taking the extended gift. "Thank you very much, sir."

"I expect you'll be receiving your other gifts some time tomorrow, by owl. The ones that are sent to Hogwarts I'll have sent here for you." Dumbledore said. "And Severus, my friend, I've got you a small something as well. I'd open it in private, though." He handed the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor his present.

"I've got one for you." Severus said, excepting the gift without thanking him. He pulled out his wand and summoned Dumbledore's present from the basement. It flew through the air in neatly wrapped blue paper.

"Ah, thank you my friend." Dumbledore stowed the present and then rose to his feet. "Shall we have a drink then?" Horace gave me this bottle for Christmas and I thought I'd share it with the two of you." the others followed and rose from their seats.

"The _two_ of us?" Severus asked. "Potter is under aged."

"Oh pish-posh, he can have _one_ drink." Dumbledore popped the cork out with a grin, and wandlessly summoned three glasses from the kitchen. He used the small desk to help pour the drinks then passed them out. "Cheers." he said raising his glass and setting the bottle down.

The other's followed, Harry more eager then the two men. "To a wonderful Christmas. May the years to follow be just as great." Dumbledore finished his toast. He clinked glasses with Severus and smiled in entertainment as Harry skipped this step and gulped down his drink.

Severus raised his brow at the boy and smirked. It was obvious that he had never taken a _real_ drink before.

After Harry swallowed he looked very embarrassed.

"You're supposed to sip it." Severus commented.

"Not to worry, Harry there's plenty more." Dumbledore said with glee.

Severus shot the man a look as if to say, 'you said only one drink for him'.

But before Harry could respond his face drooped and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. And he fell to the floor in a convulsing heap.

"HARRY!" Severus shouted before dropping his glass and rushing to his lover's side.

**A/N:**_ Da da da daaaa! Am I evil or what? Raise your hand to vote if I'm the queen of suspense. -raises hand- my vote counts as 25 because I'm the author. So Harry has been poisoned! By who? And why? Was Harry really the target? Hmmm…I wonder_


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N:**_ Okay so let's just jump right in this._

**TIME IN YOUR HANDS**

"Albus!" shouted Severus in a frenzy. "Stay with him!"

Dumbledore had quickly knelt to the ground beside the seizing boy. He gave Severus a curt nod keeping his attention on Harry as the other man jumped to his feet and ran down the stairs.

He would've just "Acio-ed" the antidotes to him if they weren't locked away in a cabinet. He fumbled in the dark, too much in a hurry to bother with lights. Before he reached the cabinet he managed to hex the lock right off, the doors bursting open for him, revealing a variety of bottles and jars. They were filled with various potions, but the one he was looking for was near the bottom. He pushed aside other vials until his hand fell on the right one.

"Severus!" Albus' anxious and terrified voice reached the man, and he took flight, taking the stairs three at a time.

When he reached Harry again he was still and quiet. He looked like there was no life in him at all. Severus ached at the sight as he dropped to his knees beside the teen.

What could've happened? Why did this happen to Harry? His Harry…battled dragons and won, killed a basilisk when he was only twelve, survived a battle with the Dark Lord, faced off dementors. Why was he being brought down by a simple poison? Severus wouldn't stand for this. He wouldn't allow it.

Dumbledore was already in action. He lifted Harry's head and opened his mouth so Severus could force an antidote down his throat.

There was silence; cold and piercing. Several long moments that felt like an eternity passed and still nothing happened. Severus was holding his breath, as if that was going to help Harry. His hands slowly balled into clenched fists.

"Let's try sitting him up." Albus suggested, his voice, though the only sound in the room was just a muted echo in the Potion Master's ears.

He deftly nodded and together the two men leaned Harry's limp and lifeless body up into a reclined sitting position. Hopefully gravity would take its course and help. Severus moved to sit behind the boy, letting his body fall against his broad chest. Harry's head fell over the raven-haired man's shoulder.

Severus glanced up at the Head Master for some added strength, but the expression on the old man's face only sucked what was left from him. His body trembled in anger. "DAMMIT HARRY POTTER, YOU WAKE UP THIS INSTANT!" he shouted in the boy's ear, his arms wrapping tightly around his lover, not caring that Dumbledore was there to witness.

Albus leaned forward to check Harry's pulse but Severus slapped his hand away. "Don't!" he growled. "He's going to be okay. He's alive. I know it. He's just being a lazy brat." even through his words he hugged his lover close. Every sense was heightened, poised and aimed at Harry. Waiting for him to breath again. "Come on Harry." he whispered, even though he was sure Albus heard him.

The limp form in the professor's arms suddenly tensed. Harry started coughing and gagging, trying to catch his breath, as if he had been under water for a long time and just broke through the surface.

"Oh thank Merlin." Albus said as he let out the breath he had been holding. He fell back on his ankles and visibly relaxed.

Severus didn't say anything, he was still shaking and trembling, the adrenaline coursing through his veins mixing with endorphins as relief washed over him. There was so much he wanted to say, but with Dumbledore there he couldn't act any different without the old man catching on. He already knew far too much to risk it. He slowly let go of the teen and pulled away from him, allowing him to sit on his own. Even though that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"What happened?" Harry asked, his voice hoarse and raw. His large green eyes were wet and red from lack of oxygen as he trained them on Severus' face, unable to tear them away.

"The drink was poisoned." Severus answered, forcing himself to fall silent and not express his concern. Why was this so hard? He wanted to scream at Dumbledore, curse the old coot for serving Harry poisoned alcohol.

"I don't understand." Albus said, trying to solve the mystery. "Horace gave me this bottle, he wouldn't try to poison me. Perhaps I'll discuss it with him."

"I suggest you do that right away." Severus growled out as he rose to his feet. He reached down and helped his lover stand.

First Lucius attacks the poor boy in public and now he was being poisoned. Since when did he become the damsel in distress? Though he was fairly certain that the original target was neither Harry or himself. And he had a pretty good idea who would try such a novice tactic of assassination. It almost shamed him.

"I think you might be right." Albus responded following their lead and standing up. "I'm glad you're alright Harry. Enjoy tomorrow and don't worry. I'll settle this."

Harry watched the man as he made his exit, closing the door behind him. The second the door clicked home Harry felt Severus' hand on his arm.

"I know." he said turning to face his worried lover. The man's arms wrapped around him and his face buried in his neck.

Now that Severus had the opportunity to speak, unrestricted, there was nothing to say. Harry knew. Harry knew what he would say anyway, so there was no point in trying.

"Thank you." Harry mumbled.

The next morning Harry woke up to the smell of fried bacon. Harry smiled when he saw that Severus was already up. The man had stayed by his side the entire night keeping a constant vigil on his breathing, just in case. He supposed that some time that morning the raven had decided it was safe enough to fix breakfast.

He pushed the covers away and climbed out of bed. He was wearing a large T-shirt and some PJ bottoms He didn't bother getting dressed, he stepped out of the bedroom and crossed the living room/library to the kitchen.

"Good morning." Severus greeted as he flipped a pancake. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, my throat is a little soar, but I'm okay." Harry responded. "Marry Christmas." he took a seat at the table and watched his lover work.

"That reminds me. You've already gotten a few owls this morning. The packages are on the desk." He said without taking his eyes off the food.

"Oh!" Harry jumped to his feet and hurried to the desk. There were three parcels sitting there waiting for him.

A large box from Ron had a miniature quid ditch set, complete with flying brooms and bludgers, that tried to break through the wards and attack Harry. It was really fun he would have to thank his friend. The next was a cake from Hagrid for Severus and Harry to share.

And the last was a book from Hermione. Which was very surprising. But the title was, "The Greatest Homosexual Names of Wizard History". Harry had to wonder where she managed to find a book like this.

"Merlin," Harry groaned. "Leave it to Hermione."

"Why? What did she send you?"

"A book, about gay people in history."

"Really?" Severus sounded mildly intrigued. "See if Slazar Slytherin is in there.

"Why? Was he gay?" Harry carried the book into the kitchen with him and sat down at the table once more.

"There was an incident and because of it the original headmasters and mistresses resigned." Severus explained. "Rumor was, but never proven, that Slytherin and Gryffindor had a huge dispute over Salazar's relationship with a student. And Salazar banished Godric and he was never seen again. But your history books will tell you that the founders had a squabble and disbanded, and Gryffindor was never heard from again. It's actually believed that the Malfoys are Salazar's descendants, but wouldn't be true if he were gay."

Harry listened, genuinely interested. "I never knew all of that."

"Of course not, they wouldn't want to besmirch Hogwarts." The man scoffed as he scooped the bacon out of the pan and set them on a plate.

Harry turned his attention to the book and searching the table of contents. "I don't see him." He finally said as the man brought the plates of food to the table.

"It was a long shot. Not very many people know that story." Severus said as he sat down across from his lover.

They ate breakfast and spoke of the possibilities of Horus Slughorn intentionally trying to poison Dumbledore. Severus Seemed to have a gut feeling that it wasn't Slughorn who did it. But he couldn't give Harry a definite reason. If Severus was certain then he was probably right. But if it wasn't the potion's professor, then who?

Harry was wracking his brain trying to put a name to the faceless culprit. While Severus seemed frustrated about the subject. He was mad that Harry had been put in danger but didn't seem interested in finding out who did it, which confused the teen. But he knew better then to mention anything.

After breakfast Harry was itching to find out what Severus got for him. But the man insisted that he get showered and dressed before anything else..

Harry grumbled as he pulled a shirt on over his freshly healed back. It hadn't taken very long for the bruise-paste to kick in. He was grateful his lover was a potion master, it certainly came in handy from time to time.

He stepped out of the bedroom and smiled at the man who was seated on the couch. Severus had cleaned up the kitchen and managed to read a sizable portion of the book Harry got for Christmas. It was Interesting, the man had never known about most of these men and women. Albus' name was even in there.

Harry took a seat beside him and smiled brightly.

"What?" He asked, without taking his eyes off the text.

"Where's my present?" Harry asked with barely contained excitement.

"On the desk." Severus answered, as if he was hardly interested. Secretly he desperately wanted his young lover to like his gift. But he was nervous. When it came to Harry he was always nervous. He had never really tried before, not even with Lily. He only loved from afar then. With Harry he was constantly testing the boundaries of his nerves. He had bought gifts for people, sure. But he never really cared what they thought. It was more of an obligation, anyway but with Harry it was different. With Harry he wanted to do everything perfect. He had to. Because of what he did to him after the Yule Ball, he couldn't afford another mess up.

Harry rose from his spot and hurried to the desk. He returned a moment later with the small black box in hand. "Thank you, Severus." He said with a warm smile.

"You haven't even opened it yet." the mans said with a sneer.

Harry only chuckled before pulling the lid off. "Oh my god." Severus heard his lover exclaim. Because he was too afraid to watch his reaction he buried his face in the book he was no longer reading. "This is amazing!" Instantly Harry was wrapped around him, pressing his lips to Severus' shallow cheek.

The reaction was almost enough to make the man laugh at his own stupidity. "So you like it then?"

"I love it." Harry beamed, moving away enough to he could pull the silver and brass pocket watch from its case. On the front set against a silver background was a brass "Tree of Avalon". On the back was an engraving of the word "Forever" in Parsletongue. "Merlin, this is the best present I've ever had."

"Even better then your Firebolt?"

Harry was quiet for a few seconds before answering. "Well second best, but it's still awesome."

"Severus chuckled and threw his arm around Harry's shoulders. "Second place is sill good. That just means I'll have to try harder next year."

**A/N: **_Yay, Harry lives! Hey, please review or message me, let me know what you guys think of the pocket watch. Thank you so much for sticking with me this far. I promise more chapters to come. _


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N:**_ So I hope everyone saw my announcement. I've started the second couple for my Bitter Series, in this chapter I hint at the couple, but if you read my announcement then you already know who the next couple is. The new story is called Bitter Memories. Please give it a try. _

**GAY MEANS HAPPY**

Christmas break was over and the lovers went back to their usual routine of classes and work, with the occasional late night rendezvous and tutoring.

Harry was sitting in the common room one Saturday afternoon with Hermione working on some homework Professor Slughorn had given out the day before. Ron, of course had fled early that morning, and was only just now making an appearance.

"Harry, before you go all irate on me, I'm sorry mate." the ginger proclaimed when he approached the two.

"It's okay, I don't really care." Harry mumbled, briefly looking up from the potion's text in his hands. He was far too engrossed with the written notes in the margins of the page to really take interest in anything else.

"Really? Oh that's a load off me. I mean it was an accident and I knew you'd understand, but that's great, mate."

"What are you talking about, Ron?" Hermione asked, looking up from her essay to question her boyfriend.

"About accidentally telling Seamus and Dean, Harry was gay."

"You what?" Harry shouted, pulled back to the real world by Ron's statement.

"I thought you knew. That's why you forgave me." the ginger sputtered trying to piece together where the misunderstanding took place.

"I thought you were sorry about ditching homework. I had no idea…Why would you do that?" Harry rose to his feet in time to see Katie come in through the portrait hole. She looked up, noticed him and quickly looked away, trying to pretend she didn't know the secret. "Great." the boy grumbled. "Just great."

He pushed passed his friends and out of the Gryffindor tower, this was perfect. It would only be a matter of a few hours before every student and teacher knew by dinner. Harry passed everyone quickly, avoiding their criticizing looks and he hurried out onto the grounds.

"Severus," the portrait of Salazar Slytherin spoke to the man who was reading the book Harry had gotten for Christmas. The boy had said Severus could finish it first, since he found it so interesting.

"What is it?" the man asked, looking up from the page.

"Albus would like to speak to you if you have the time."

"Thank you." It was rare that Dumbledore would ask Salazar to deliver a message. It was such a demeaning request of one of the founders, even if it was just a portrait of him.

Severus marked his place and rose to his feet. He left his private chambers and made his way up the stairs where he ran into his godson. "Draco," Severus had been a little short with the blonde ever since Christmas, but he couldn't let on that he knew about the failed assassination because that would mean admitting Harry was with him during the break.

"Uncle, I was just on my way to tell you the news." the slick teen smirked and fell in step with his godfather.

"News?" Severus questioned without looking at his nephew.

"It seems the Golden Boy has a detrimental flaw that's greatly affecting his popularity with the brainless masses." Draco cooed as if talking about nothing more then the weather.

A flaw? Harry? That was nonsense. Harry Potter had no flaws. He was perfect, his body was beautiful. His personality was just and pure. His courage and loyalty knew no boundaries. He was true and never cheated. Of course if their relationship had never been dynamic, Severus would've never have truly known him like he did now.

"Oh really? And what would this flaw be?" he asked, trying to sound interested.

"Rumor is, and this comes from a very close source, that Harry Potter is gay."

Severus froze mid-step. This was not good. No wonder Albus had called him. No doubt Lovegood had run her mouth.

"Who's the source?" Severus asked.

"The Weasley boy." Draco answered. Well it wasn't like it was the first time Severus had assumed something and been wrong.

That was a relief. That meant nobody knew who Harry was seeing. It would be bad for both of them, but it would be worse for Harry. How could he gain any followers if they didn't trust his judgment? Not to mention he'd be ridiculed.

"That's certainly some interesting news." Severus finally responded, before picking up his pace once more.

"That's it? Just 'interesting'?" Draco questioned.

"Well, I don't know how to use this information." the man answered.

"How about acting like you should? Like you used to." The blonde challenged.

"Excuse me." Severus stopped again but this time he leveled his godson with a glare, daring him to continue.

"You don't think I know what's going on, but I do." Draco said. "I've seen the way you two look at each other. Of course I can't prove it. But with this new information it seemed so obvious."

Severus was shell-shocked. He didn't know what to do. He knew he needed to say something to deter the boy's conclusion. This was bad, very bad. If Draco knew, then it was only a matter of time before the Deatheaters found out. He couldn't think of anything to say, though. He just stood there; dumbfounded. And that was all the proof Draco needed.

"I can't say much for your taste." The blonde sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets, as he leaned against the stairway's banister. "What would happen if…_they_ found out?"

"What do you want me to say? That every thing will be fine? Honestly, I'll probably be killed on the spot, or worse, used as bait to trap Harry, and then killed." Suddenly Severus found his voice and couldn't shut up. "I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I have no idea how to get free. I'll tell you this right now, I never wanted to be a Deatheater." Severus confessed. "Your father talked me into it when we were in school. If I was given a choice, honestly, I'd get the hell out right now."

"I know what you mean." Draco said, a solemn expression on his face. "My father can be…persuasive." He reached up and rubbed his forearm where his sleeve covered the fresh Dark Mark. "It would seem that once we find that person that means the most to us, we begin reflecting our past decisions. Our past can greatly affect them, and I wish for nothing more then to take this back…for his sake."

"You're telling me." something Draco had said took a minute to register. But when it did Severus felt mild mischievousness come over him. "Hold on a second. You're talking about yourself. Care to explain what 'for _his_ sake' means?"

"Um…well I'm sort of…I mean, he's older then me, b-but it's not like I'm…I mean…" Draco's face was beat red in embarrassment. "Please don't make me say it."

"You're gay?"

"Shut up, I am not!" Draco snapped. "I'm just in a strange relationship, sort of, with an older man. It's…It's nothing romantic, or anything."

"Sure, and that's why your blushing like a virgin bride?" Severus looked down at the teen with an incredulous expression.

"Oh god, did you have to use _that _terminology?" Draco covered his face with his hand, wishing the ground would swallow him.

Severus laughed and placed his hand on the boy's head. It felt good to talk about all this with someone, even if he was putting Draco in danger by doing so. It seemed to do him some good as well.

"Professor Snape." Harry said from his position at the top of the dungeon staircase. He had just come in on the scene of his lover and Draco.

The two looked up, Severus dropped his hand and Draco tried to control the blush on his cheeks.

"Harry." Severus said the boy's name deliberately, because it was safe to do so in front of Draco.

"Dumbledore asked to see us both." Severus could tell his lover was nervous. It made sense, he didn't know what had just taken place.

"I was already on my way, but I didn't know he had called for you as well." Severus ascended the stairs to reach his lover's side. He turned back to his godson and smirked. "This conversation isn't over. I want a name next time." with that he escorted Harry away and towards Dumbledore's office.

"What was that about?" Harry asked his tone revealed his uncertainty.

"It seems my godson has heard a nasty rumor about you, and came to share the news."

"Wow, good gossip travels fast." Harry groaned. "Do you think that's why Dumbledore wants to see us?"

"It most likely has something to do with it." Severus answered with no joy in his voice. "But I came across some juicy information of my own."

Harry gave his lover a curious expression. "Are you going to share?" he asked.

"I might. For the right price." a mischievous smirk crossed the slytherin's features. He quickly pulled his young lover into an alcove in the wall and pressed his body against the teen's. he captured the boy's lips in a heated kiss.

Harry reacted in turn. Though all of this was confusing. He could've sworn Severus was going to be angry with him. Now it was going to be even harder for the two to be together. Everyone would be trying to discover who Harry was with. No doubt there would be something about this in the daily prophet, probably written by Rita Skeeter.

When Severus pulled away they were both out of breath. "Draco's gay." the man said, his voice a little winded. "He hasn't admitted it yet, but he is."

"Really?"

"You have to swear not to tell anyone. Because if anyone finds out, he'll probably tell everyone that I'm your lover."

"He knows?" Harry exclaimed in shock.

Severus quickly covered his lover's mouth and checked over his shoulder to make sure no one had heard. "Shhh…" When Harry had composed himself he dropped his hand. "Yes he knows."

"You told _him_? But he hates me. He'll tell everyone."

"He figured it out himself. And he won't tell anyone because it would hurt me just as much as it would, you." Severus explained running his long and slender fingers through Harry's untamable hair.

"Merlin…" Harry groaned. "First Luna and now Draco. Not that I mind. I just wish…I don't know."

"I do." Severus said softly. "And I feel the same way." he heaved a sigh and straightened his cloak. "Shall we get this torture over with?"

"Wait," Harry interjected. "What are we going to tell him?" he asked.

"We'll deny any relationship. I'll admit to having prior knowledge of your sexuality due to our private lessons." Severus answered. "Though he will approach me when he wishes to know who you are seeing. What should I tell him?"

"Tell him, you don't know. I've gotten pretty good at shielding my mind. And he doesn't know how long I've been in a homosexual relationship." Harry said. "But why would he think it was important?" he asked, confused. "So what if I'm gay."

"Yes but…he knows that I'm in an illicit relationship with a male student. Put two and two together…" He didn't finish. He didn't have to.

"Dumbledore's far from stupid." Harry said, his mind racing to find the answer to their problem. "We're so screwed."

"Not necessarily." the man said. "No one in their right mind would believe that the two of us would be in the relationship we are now. To them it would be like dividing by zero. Simply impossible. Perhaps, Dumbledore will be like the majority."

Harry heaved a sigh. "I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath."

"There's only one way to find out." Severus sighed. "Shall we?"

Together they slipped out of the alcove when no one would see them. Then they walked through the halls towards the head master's office. Harry had to endure another onslaught of judgmental stares and the sound of whispering behind his back. But it was better, somehow, with Severus by his side.

**A/N:** _So can you guess who Draco's man is? This was chapter yonjuunana! (47) I hope you liked it, please R&R if not I'll kill Harry's baby. MWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!_


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N:**_ Hey everyone! I have an _**ANNOUNCEMENT **_for those of you who do not know I have made a page on facebook, very official, for my Bitter Series. _.com/pages/Bitter-Lies/136997203085637 _so please join our community! Now on to chapter yonjuuhachi! (48). Last chapter Severus and Harry had been summoned to Dumbledore's office. What will ensue? And if you've been active on the BL page on facebook, what does the line "The three of them pulled out their wands." mean?_

"Please come in you two." Dumbledore's voice sounded from behind the large door.

Severus opened the door and let Harry walk in ahead of him before closing it behind themselves.

Dumbledore was standing near his desk feeding Fawkes some treats. He didn't seem too upset, to Harry, but then again Harry had never seen him upset by the definition of the word.

"You wished to see us both, Headmaster?" Severus asked before moving across the room to sit in one of the chairs facing Dumbledore's desk.

"Yes." The elderly man turned and aimed a bright smile at the teen. "Please have a seat, Harry." he motioned to the empty chair beside the professor.

"Th-thank you." Harry said before taking a seat next to his lover.

"I'm sure you both remember the incident that took place over the Christmas holiday." Dumbledore started.

Harry gave Severus a sideways glance. Maybe Dumbledore wouldn't ask them about it. Maybe he still hadn't heard the rumor about Harry. Maybe, if they were lucky, Severus' theory was right.

"Well," the headmaster continued. "Horace Slughorn is _not _trying to poison me; or anyone else for that matter. We're still investigation the incident, however, because no one can come to answer how the bottle came to be poisoned in the first place.

"The answer is quite obvious." Severus said in his usual droll. "First, the bewitched necklace that was meant for you. And now this poisoned bottle of mead that was also meant for you." the man toyed with one of the small buttons on his sleeve. "Someone is trying very hard to get rid of you."

"Someone's trying to kill Dumbledore?" Harry asked, surprised. Immediately his mind went back to the necklace and seeing Draco come out of the girl's lavatory. He fully believed that Draco had cursed the necklace and had bewitched Katie to take it to Dumbledore. Could he have poisoned the bottle as well with the intention of killing the headmaster? Harry knew he didn't like the man, but was it enough to kill him?

"Now now Severus, ever the pessimist." Dumbledore smiled brightly, his blue eyes twinkling madly. "We both know what's really going on."

"Yes, and I must say I'm disappointed." Severus droned.

"As am I. I expected more out of him. Perhaps his heart isn't in the task."

"I'm confused." Harry said raising his hands in mock surrender.

"Oh Harry, do forgive me. I forgot you were here." Dumbledore said. He rose to his feet. "You are dismissed my boy. Please go and enjoy your weekend. And don't worry about Professor Slughorn."

Harry quickly stood up and allowed Dumbledore to show him the way out. Severus followed, wanting to share some free-time with his lover.

Dumbledore waved as Harry descended the steps. "Just a moment Severus." He said, stopping the raven-haired man's attempted retreat. "Just a few words, my friend."

They stood in the doorway, neither making a move to go back into the office.

"'Ignorance is bliss', they often say." Albus cooed. "Please Severus, try not to make it so obvious that I can no longer remain blissfully ignorant."

When Severus made it back to his private chambers he was more then pleased to see Harry waiting for him. The teen was leaning against the wall directly under the hooks Severus used to hang his cloak during lectures. Harry was staring, with a fond expression on his face, at Severus' desk.

The man closed and locked the door to the potion's lab before throwing up a few strong wards. He turned and approached his lover, Harry stepping away from the wall to allow Severus to embrace him from behind. The man rested his chin on Harry's shoulder, their cheeks pressed softly against each other.

"What are you looking at?" Severus asked trying to discern what was so interesting.

Harry sighed and his gentle smile grew wider. "Oh nothing really." he said softly. "Just remembering."

"Ah." Severus' arms gave the teen a playful squeeze. "So, good memories?"

"Oh yes, I think so." Harry leaned into the man's embrace, smiling sweetly.

"Well it sounds, to me, like you want a repeat of those memories this desk seems to provide." Severus liked where this conversation was leading. "I wouldn't mind re-doing our 'first'."

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "I think it suits us."

Severus chuckled. "That it does. Shall we make more memories then?"

"Lets." Harry said as a sly grin crossed his face.

They started out on the desk but ended up in Severus' bed. Their limbs were so tangled that neither moved. Their bodies pressed against each other; breath heavy and hot.

Severus had decided on his way back from Dumbledore's office that he wouldn't mention what the headmaster had said. It would probably only put more stress on his younger lover.

After they had rested Severus insisted on a light Occlumency lesson. Then they spent the rest of the day, with Harry teaching Severus further Parsletongue.

The man was getting tons better, able to hold on a small conversation, even. However, the time came when Harry needed to get back to Gryffindor tower. He dreaded the thought of facing anyone right now. It was highly likely that the entire wizarding world new that the "Chosen One" was a fag, by this point.

Severus walked him to the door and kissed him goodnight. His thin lips pressed to Harry's now swollen ones. "[Good night, my love. I will see you in the morning.]" Severus hissed in almost perfect Parsletongue.

"Good night, my love, until tomorrow." Harry gave a soft smile before heading out the door.

Other students were now heading back to their own dorms and Harry was in the thick of slytherin territory. He thought if he hurried he'd be safe. But of course it never works out that way; at least not for Harry.

As he rounded the corner he saw three seventh year slytherins coming down the stairs. And they quickly noticed him. Maybe if he kept his eyes down and didn't slow his pace he could avoid a confrontation. But as he neared the stairs the three older boys spread out, completely blocking his ascending exit.

"What do we have here?" said the one on the right. "Hey Tarance did you hear? That the Gryffindor mascot is a faggot?"

"You know what Kyle, I think I did hear something like that." answered the one on the very left. "What about you Garrett?"

"Yup, heard he liked to take it fast and hard." said the middle one.

"That's disgusting. But I guess that proves it." said Kyle.

"Proves what?" asked Tarance.

"That Gryffindors are all cock-suckers."

"Let's make this little faerie an example." said Garrett with a smirk.

The three of them pulled out their wands. They were still exchanging banter, however, and weren't really paying attention to Harry. Who was growing angrier and angrier with each word. He climbed the steps until he was right in front of Kyle. He pulled back his fist, and like a spring that snapped, his knuckles connected to the bastard's jaw. All before anyone could fire a hex.

As he watched Kyle drop to the ground and roll down the few steps, he felt a stinging hex land on him. It hurt like a bitch, but he had felt worse. He lunged forward and started wailing on Garrett's face, who brought his hands up to shield himself.

Harry's shirt exploded into tiny ribbons that fell around them. It took him only half a second to realize that Tarance had cast Expulso, and extremely deadly and messy curse should it land on flesh.

Harry looked up to come face to face with the business end of a wand.

"What are you doing Tarance?" came a cool voice from the top of the stairs.

Harry wasn't dumb enough to turn away from the stare down. But apparently the seventh year was.

"Draco? You're the last one I'd expect to come to this ass-pounder's defense." Harry took the opportunity and disarmed the upperclassman by grabbing his wrist and twisting the wand free. "Mother fucker!"

"You're an idiot Tarance." said Draco as he stepped down the stairs. "Were you really going to try and take away _his_ prize? And get expelled if not imprisoned at the same time?"

Tarance looked at Harry's face as if debating something internally. "This dick-licker isn't worth it."

"You know that's not really an insult." Harry interjected. "That's like me calling you a carpet-muncher."

Draco made a face caught somewhere between amusement and disgust. Tarance only looked confused. Garrett and Kyle were slowly getting to their feet. "Go back to the dorm." Draco said. "I'll deal with Potter."

Garrett and Tarance stumbled down the stairs to stand with Kyle. Harry tossed Tarance's wand to him and watched as the three made a hasty retreat down the corridor.

"Really Potter," said Draco without looking at him. His chrome eyes were set on the upperclassmen. "That was a good show."

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry turned and faced the blond head on.

"Nothing really," He fixed Harry with a serious expression. "Just your word."

"Go on."

"No doubt Professor Snape has already informed you to what extent my knowledge is. Yes?"

"Yes, and believe me it does not ease my stress any less."

"I'm sure." Draco agreed. "I want your word that you're just in this for the ride. That you're not just stringing him along."

"I'm not doing either." Harry answered.

"Good. Also I would like your permission to disembowel you should you hurt him in any way, and it turns out you've lied to me." The blond challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

Harry thought this was amusing. Draco was trying to protect his godfather. It was a reasonable request he decided, besides he wasn't lying. "Permission granted."

**A/N:**_ Yay for another chapter! Don't forget to review. And on the facebook page you can post comments and critiques also you'll get updates on how my status is and how far along each chapter is. (makes the wait easier to bare). Let there be fan-art! I've already posted some of my stuff so go check it out! (link in the beginning A/N)_


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N:**_Welcome to Chapter Yonjuunana! (49) so in this chapter we get to see some fan-girls, some more bullying at Harry's expense. If you haven't already, join us on my facebook page! .com/pages/Bitter-Lies/136997203085637_

**SICK?**

Harry had suffered a few more incidences with fighting. It had seemed that the school had divided into two sections, no longer four. First there were those who strongly and in most cases verbally and physically opposed the idea of homosexuality and were using Harry as an example. Then there were those who supported him, stood up for him or stayed out of it all together. There were a few who helped defend their friend. Like Luna, Hermione, Ron and Neville. Dean and Ginny had teamed up to start an "Awareness" campaign. Draco was surprisingly in the "Stay out of it" group. Most were just as surprised as Harry that he had not joined in with the others. Seamus had gone through great lengths to torture Harry, which was also a surprise. No one knew what a bigot he was.

Then there were the girls. As soon as the word had spread they had swooped in to "comfort" him. They were like cats and Harry was the recluse old lady who always fed them. They asked him off the wall questions like, "Does my eye-shadow match my shirt?" or what to do about a guy; like he was supposed to know.

Some of them were a little more direct and blunt with their questions. "Who's your boyfriend?" was the most common. Then there was Harry's favorite, "Top or bottom?" Why did they want to know, was _Harry's_ question. Their sudden interest in him was puzzling.

Cho Chang had even come up to him with her favorite yaoi manga and told him to read it. It was full of characters with too-large eyes and strange dialect; on top of that he had to read the graphic novel backwards. Even though Cho insisted that it was correct because to read a book backwards wouldn't make any sense. Harry just rolled his eyes and ended up breezing through the first seven volumes of the series. It was surprisingly…detailed for a cartoon. But when he brought this up with Cho she corrected him saying it was anime, more specifically, yaoi.

Currently he was seated at the Gryffindor table eating lunch while Cho gushed over another series she wanted him to read. Lately she had taken to abandoning her own table voting to sit with her new "bestie"; as did Luna and a few others.

Suddenly, something heavy landed on him and there were mashed potatoes rolling down his back. "I'm so sorry Harry!" exclaimed Hermione, who had been grabbing some potatoes from further down the table and was heading back to her seat.

"It's fine 'Mione." he said as she desperately tried to clean him off.

"Hey Potter!" someone shouted from the Ravenclaw table. "You've got _white_ on you!"

The Great Hall was filled with the chorus of laughter.

Dean stood up and shouted over the roar. "And you've got ugly on you! Oh wait, that's your face!" Harry and his small cluster of friends laughed as everyone else's laughter dies into _Ooohs._

"Why don't you come over here and say that to my face, Cock-sucker!"

"That is enough!" McGonagall shouted, rising from her seat at the teacher's table "Teddy Mullen, you will meet me in my office in five minutes. As for the rest of you, kindly drop this lewd behavior."

Everyone's eyes were on the woman as she left the room, followed closely behind by Ted, with his head hung low. The rest of lunch was quiet. Harry ate quickly so he could go change before the next class started. Hermione and Ginny, with Dean, walked with him. Which, was the norm these days. Harry rarely walked by himself anywhere, ever since the last fight he had got in, and was nearly expelled.

"Don't listen to those jerks, Harry." Ginny said with a soft and supportive smile.

"I don't." He answered. "Or really, I try not to, but…"

"Yeah. Don't worry, mate, we've got your back." said Dean. Who, had more than proved that to be true over the last week.

When they reached the dorms, Dean walked to the boy's with Harry. The teen went to his trunk and pulled out a fresh shirt and laid it on his bed. Dean had occupied himself with a copy of the Daily Prophet while Harry pulled his shirt off. Harry examined the damage and suddenly the smell of the potatoes made his stomach churn.

He took off sprinting to the bathroom. He barely made it before he lost his lunch in the closest sink.

"You okay, Harry?" Dean's concerned voice sounded from the bathroom door. Harry help up a weak thumbs up. It was the only response he could manage as he emptied the contents of his stomach.

Dean disappeared and reappeared with Harry's clean shirt as the teen turned the tap and washed the bile away. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled weakly at Dean's reflection. His own looked pale and pasty.

"I guess a trip to the infirmary is called for." said Dean.

"I don't _feel_ sick." said Harry turning around to accept the shirt.

"Nevertheless, Katie caught the stomach virus the day before yesterday. And so did a handful of Huffelpuffs. Poppy can take care of you."

Harry pulled the shirt on and followed Dean out of the dorm room and down the stairs.

"Harry just got sick." Dean said to the girls who had been waiting for them. "I'll take him to see Poppy; you both go on to class."

They looked concerned but nodded their agreement. "I hope you feel better, Harry." said Ginny as she left.

"I'll copy my notes for you." said Hermione.

Harry thanked them both then walked, with Dean, to the infirmary. He was going to miss Severus' class on vampires. And he had really been looking forward to it too. It was strange he didn't feel sick or like he had a fever at all. But when they arrived the usually cheery nurse, was sick herself, and in a foul mood. She shoved a small jar in Harry's hand and told him to rest.

Harry did as she said and stayed in bed while drinking the potion. However every time he opened the lid and the scent of the brew reached his nose his stomach did flips, making him run to the bathroom; as was the situation with almost any smell.

He was in Professor Slughorn's class one morning and the thick potion fumes proved to be too much. He lost his breakfast in his own cauldron. Thankfully, Slughorn excused him from class.

Harry walked through the halls thinking about Dumbledore. During all of Harry's drama the past two weeks, the man had had some of his own. Although the teen didn't have the details he knew that there had been another assassination attempt. That was all Severus would tell him and his imagination was left to wander. He had almost fully convinced himself that Draco was behind every attack.

The blond might have accepted his and Severus' relationship but that didn't mean he trusted him. In fact it made him even more wary of the Slytherin.

So when Harry saw Draco sneaking out of the Room of Requirement, the teen decided to follow him. He followed Malfoy all the way to the boy's bathroom on the fifth floor.

Harry ducked around the corner and watched Draco close the door to the bathroom behind him. Harry cursed under his breath and decided to wait for him.

He didn't wait long before he heard muffled voices coming from the lavatory. Curious, Harry worked his way closer. He pressed his ear to the door and listened but couldn't make them out.

He pushed the door open slightly and saw Draco's back to the door as he leaned over the sink. His entire frame was shaking.

"Don't." came a female voice. That was when Harry noticed Moaning Murtle in one of the stalls. "Don't…tell me what's wrong…I can help you."

"No one can help me." sobbed the blond. "Not even G." he shook his head, his white-blond hair falling out of his eyes and Harry could see his reflections in the mirror. He was crying. Actually crying. "I can't do it…I can't…" The Slytherin continued. "It won't work…and unless I do it soon…he says he'll kill me…he saw my memories too…he'll kill G. too…" tears streamed down Malfoy's face.

Then it all clicked in place. Draco was talking about Voldemort and a job that Malfoy, obviously, felt like he was going to fail. Harry was certain he was supposed to kill Dumbledore. It made sense to him. Dumbledore was the only person who Voldemort was afraid of and with him out of the picture the Dark Lord could start his war. As for whom "G." was, Harry had no clue.

Suddenly Draco looked up at his reflection and immediately noticed Harry in the mirror. He spun around and drew his wand. Like a reflex, Harry did the same.

Severus was in the middle of teaching his third years about deadly hexes when the pain suddenly hit him. It felt as if his skull was being cracked in two. His vision grew dark as he dropped to his knees in front of a class full of stunned Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. He reached up to cradle his aching head when he saw a flash of a room he wasn't in; then a full vision of Harry being tortured in a bathroom. Water was everywhere and Moaning Murtle was losing it. Just as suddenly as it came it stopped.

Draco lifted the curse as soon as he realized what he was doing. But Harry didn't know this. He raised his wand and quickly decided to test out a new spell he had read out of the Prince's book. Underneath, it had said it was _for enemies_.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" He shouted. The reaction he saw turned his stomach to ice.

**A/N:**_ Oh my! Will Severus get there in time? Will I switch everything up and kill off Draco? Curious…Reviews would help me decide. Stay tuned for Chapter Gojuu! (50)_

_Thank you aliengirlguy for the assistance on this chapter! it was greatly appreciated. _

**Severus:**_ That one was short._

**Harry: **_You don't have to end every chapter in a cliff hanger._

**aixelsyD:**_ Yes I do! SHUTUP! _


	50. Chapter 50

Severus was like a bat out of hell flying down the corridors. He could feel his forearm burning. Like a red-hot chain was constricting it. He knew what it meant. It meant that Draco was in danger and he was to fulfill his vow to Narcissa. But the pain in his head and the sudden vision of Harry also meant that _he_ was in danger.

It didn't take him long to locate another specter. He asked the Bloody Baron where to find Moaning Murtle.

"Ah, the young lady resides in every bathroom throughout the grounds." He had said.

"I know that!" snapped Severus. "But where is she now?"

The Baron seemed a little shocked by the tone Snape had taken but he answered nonetheless. "She is in the fourth floor boy's lavatory at the moment. The east wing, I believe."

Like a bullet Severus was gone.

As he ran he silently cursed the fool who arranged for anti-apparating wards to be placed over the castle. Without it he would be there so much faster. As it was, he was not and by the time he reached the fourth floor he could hear Murtle's cries all the way down the corridor.

"MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM!" she wailed.

Like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice-water over his head, Severus felt cold. He willed his feet to go faster as he ran but he felt so sluggish. When he reached the bathroom he practically tore the door off its hinges.

There, kneeling in a pool of blood-stained water was Harry. "No! No, no…I didn't mean this!"

Now that Severus knew Harry was not the one in danger any longer, he rushed forward, drawing out his wand. Moaning Murtle was wailing above them, and by the looks of it she was enjoying it. When his dark eyes fell on Draco he couldn't believe what he saw. It was his curse; _his! _Where had Harry learned it?

Severus dropped to his knees as Harry quickly moved out of the way.

"Severus! I didn't mean to- I didn't know…" his lover was wracking his brain trying to think of something to reverse what he had done.

Harry's heartbeat was frantic in his chest, as he watched Severus trace his wand over the deep wounds Harry's attack had caused. The man mumbled but sounded like music. And suddenly the torrent of blood receded until finally stopping. One at a time Severus did this until each wound was at least tolerable.

Harry helped Severus lift Draco so he was standing on shaky legs. "We need to get you to the infirmary." Severus said, his voice as calm as could be. "These wounds shouldn't scar if we can get some _Ditany_ on them right away."

Together they half carried Draco to see Poppy. Everyone they passed stared wide-eyed at them some even asked what had happened, but neither Harry or Severus paid any attention to them; and Draco was in no position to talk himself.

Just as they made it down the stairs class let out and every corridor was packed with students.

Some older classmen ran ahead of the three and cleared a path for them, making it easier to get through. Those same boys kept the path clear until they reached their destination.

As they passed them Severus grumbled, "Ten points each to your respected houses."

Two, Harry knew were Hufflepuff and one was a Gryffindor.

While Poppy worked on Draco, Severus and harry worked their way through the crowd, that had formed outside the infirmary. Though, it wasn't hard, While Severus had plenty of his godson's blood on him, Harry was drenched in it. Everyone backed away cautiously, throwing questions at them. They just ignored them and walked past.

Severus grabbed Harry's shoulder and lead him to his office and beyond that, his private quarters. Once every door was safely locked and warded Severus sent for a house elf.

Dobby popped into the room with a loud 'crack'. Severus mildly wondered why the house-elves could apparate while he was restricted. "Bring Mr. Potter a change of clothes." Severus ordered.

Dobby gave Harry a timid wave before disappearing. It didn't take too long before he was back with a clean outfit. "Dobby be missing you, sir." He said as he handed Harry the clothes. "When you be visiting Dobby again?" he asked, his large eyes shining hopefully.

"Later, Dobby. Thank you." he said. And the tiny elf was gone.

"What the hell happened?" Severus shouted, not even a full two seconds after.

Harry flinched, his hands fisting the clothes in his hands. "We got in a fight."

"I gathered that. But what were you thinking using a spell like _that_?"

"I didn't know what it did!" Harry defended.

"So somewhere in that intelligent mind, you thought it was smart to use a spell you didn't even know was used for?" snapped the man. He was absolutely livid, except he didn't know who, exactly, he was angry with.

"It said it was 'for enemies'." Harry argued.

"Obviously!" It was only then that Severus looked at Harry; actually looked at him.

He as thin, too thin, and he looked pale but that could just be the contrast from all the blood and also from the shock of what just happened. His vivid green eyes were wide with some unknowable emotion behind them. He was shaking and he looked like was about to be sick.

Severus heaved a huge sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "'It'? You mean a book, right?"

Harry nodded, "Yes."

"I can't let you keep that book." He said looking back at Harry with a softer expression.

"What?"

"The Half-Blood Prince's book, I can't let you keep it; it's dangerous."

"It's helpful." Harry argued.

Severus didn't respond he only gave Harry an incredulous look.

"Except for this once." Harry continued to defend himself. "Without the Prince I would lose Slughorn's trust. And Dumbledore needs me to-"

"I know what the headmaster requested of you. So that's why you're suddenly terrific at potions? And here I thought _I_ had something to do with it." Then a thought seemed to give him clarity. "Well I suppose I did."

"Hang on. How do you know about the Prince?" Harry asked.

"Because, Harry, I am the Half-Blood Prince."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and he sputtered, trying to respond.

"Let's go wast up. I'll explain when we get out."

Together they went into the bathroom, "Okay," started harry. "You'll explain about eh book later, but tell me how you knew something was wrong. You're class is all the way on the sixth floor you couldn't have heard Murtle from there."

"No I didn't. I had another vision of you in danger." he confessed before pulling his robes off.

"Mind-meld, huh?" I'll have to talk to Hermione about that." Harry pulled his soiled shirt over his head, but as he did so the smell of rust wafted around him from Draco's blood. "Merlin!" harry groaned, quickly freeing himself from the shirt. He ran to the sink and dry-heaved into the basin. There was nothing left inside his stomach and it made his body ache.

Severus didn't say anything. He stepped up behind his lover and softly rubbed his back. He shook his head and sighed. "Harry, you have been taking the potion that Madam Pomfrey gave you, aren't you?"

"Yes," Harry moaned. "But every time I do, I just throw I up again. I don't think it stays in my stomach long enough to get in my system."

After harry stopped gagging they quickly finished undressing and stepped into the bath. Severus turned the water on and Harry relaxed; the warmth easing his achy muscles.

When they were finished and dressed Severus sat with Harry on his wing-backed sofa facing the fireplace.

"Harry, in that book I wrote many things. I even made a few curses and hexes of my own. This was all back when I was in school. And the reason I gave myself that witty title is because of my family." Severus started, his dark eyes lost in the past.

Harry made sure to concentrate on his lover's words because he knew he was about to learn something about him.

"My mother was a sickly woman with a frail immune system. My father was a muggle. But my mother was the last descendent of a powerful wizarding family, named Prince. Her grandfather disowned her the day she announced her engagement to my father. I would've been viewed as royalty had it not been for my great grandfather. "Severus sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "No-body remembers that anymore. I almost forgot it myself, to be honest. It's just not important. "

Before harry could respond, however, there was another voice in the room. "Prince, did you say?"

They both looked up to see Salazar Slytherin's portrait with a curious expression on his face.

"Yes that's right." Severus said it was rare for a portrait to engage itself in conversation, especially Slytherin's.

And unknowable expression crossed the portrait's features before he gave the tiniest of smiles; reminding Harry of Severus' own smile.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you." He said before falling silent once more.

After arranging to destroy the book Severus escorted Harry to the Head master's office. Dumblore had, no doubt, heard about what had happened and needed to talk to Harry.

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said upon their arrival. The fact that he addressed him so formally gave Harry a very bad feeling. "I'm afraid; you're expelled for the actions you've taken against Mr. Malfoy."

"What?" they both said in unison. Severus practically had steam coming from his ears he was so mad and Harry was just shocked into silence.

Dumbledore raised his hands in surrender. "At least that's what they want me to say. In all honesty I can't expel you without knowing exactly what happened today."

Harry let out the breath he had been holding; while Severus' face went from red-with-fury back to his usual pale skin tone.

"Thank you Professor Snape. If he is not expelled what punishment were you considering?"

Without missing a beat Severus said, "Detention every Saturday until the end of term."

Dumbledore nodded while Harry tried to give his best dejected look. "That is acceptable. But he'll serve them with Minerva." Suddenly Harry didn't have to try very hard. The Head Master motioned for Severus to leave the office.

**A/N:**_ Yay! Chapter 50! GOJUU! I'm so excited! I can't believe I made it this far. And I could only have done so because of all of you. You're reviews and suggestions are the fire that keeps this fic going. I'd like to shout-out to a dedicated reader, Marin! Thank you for the undying love you have shown towards BL. This chapter is dedicated to you. Also, if you don't already know, i post each new chapter to my blog one week before posting it here. so check out the link in my profile if you can't wait a week. on my blog i already have all the way up to 52 posted. _


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: **_Welcome to Chapter Gojuuichi! I'm super excited about my blog and of course the progress I've been making. Some of you may not know, but for those of you on my FB, my grandfather was just diagnosed with lung cancer. He's doing fine so far and they think they can treat it with chemo-therapy. I ask that everyone please keep him and my family in your thoughts and prayers. I decided not to let this affect my writing, and have braced myself to use this angst in my life to help fuel for upcoming chapters. Thank you as always for being there for me. This chapter is dedicated to Danni thank you for being so freak'n awesome!_

_ALSO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALAN RICKMAN! THAT IS WHY I'M POSTING THIS CHAPTER UP EARLY!_

Severus didn't want to leave Harry, but he had no other choice. So he voted to check on Draco, and perhaps get his side of the story.

As he entered the infirmary he saw his godson leaning up in one of the beds with his shirt off. The wounds on his upper body were still stitching together but because of the _Dittany_ there would be very little scarring.

"Professor." He addressed with a nod. At least he was coherent now. Poppy must have given him a blood-replenisher. "I'd like to thank you for your help." His words had a bitter tinge to them.

"Of course Draco." said Severus as he drew closer. "Mr. Potter is currently in the Head Master's office, probably receiving quite the verbal lashing." When Draco didn't respond Snape continued. "He was almost expelled. In fact, he might still be." Severus sat on the edge of the bed next to the blond. He placed his hands on his knees and scowled down at them. "Would you care to explain what happened?" He looked up fixing the teen with a very stern expression. "Why you used an unforgivable curse on him?"

"I-I didn't." Draco's head snapped around to look at his uncle. "I don't know what-"

"Don't lie to me, Draco Malfoy." hissed Severus.

Draco sighed. "We were tossing hexes back and forth like a bloody tennis game. So when he slipped in the water…I don't know…I just reacted. But as soon as I realized, I stopped. I swear I didn't mean to." His silver eyes were begging, pleading; which was rare to see in a Malfoy's eyes. "I'm so disgusted Uncle. If it wasn't for _this_." He lifted his forearm, showing Severus the Dark mark tattooed there. It had been charmed to only be visible to those with the same marking; a handy trick. "I wouldn't have done it. I wouldn't have. If it wasn't for my _father_." He spoke the word with hate dripping from his voice.

"Don't blame your father." Severus said. "He was only trying to protect you. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing."

Draco didn't like that. By the looks of it, he seemed pretty used to this conversation. After a few long moments of silence Draco finally spoke. "Harry walked in on me in a vulnerable spot."

Severus raised a curious brow. "Well, you were in the bathroom; I suppose we're all vulnerable there."

The blond rolled his eyes, "That's not what I meant." he scoffed, but continued. "He surprised me so I turned and attacked. After the _Crutiatus_ Potter used…what was that? I've never heard of that curse."

"Don't know." Severus lied with a shrug. "Harry didn't know what it did either; said he read it somewhere and it was 'for enemies'."

Draco scoffed. "And you would believe him."

"Yes Draco I do. After what happened during the TriWizard Tournament, I'll never _not_ believe him again."

"Wait a minute…" Draco said, realization dawning on him. "The Yule Ball, Potter's attacker…that was you?"

Severus flinched he knew that would happen. "Draco…" he sighed. "Yes it was me."

Draco's face was shocked, "You would do something like that?"

"No, but I did." Severus said. "_This_," he reached forward and took the blonde's arm, showing the mark again. "And everything you see and do because of it can change you. See to it, Draco that it doesn't change _you_. It might cause you to lose those who are most important to you."

"Better that, then them being victims because you didn't change." Draco said solemnly.

Severus let that sink in for a minute, before he heaved a big sigh. "I would have to agree with you there, Draco."

"Hang on," the blond spoke up once again. "If that was you fourth year, and you're both together now…Potter is amazingly forgiving."

Severus gave a half-laugh that was void of all humor. "Yes he is. Honestly I have no idea why."

Saturday was endless torture for Harry. He had not been expelled, thankfully but wasn't sure if he'd be able to suffer through the rest of the year like this. He was given the tedious task of reorganizing all the punishment records. The older ones were badly faded and he was to re-write every one; without magic. By the end of his first detention his fingers were aching and stiff. He had gone in that morning right after breakfast and it was now lunch time.

However, as soon as he stepped into the Great Hall a cornucopia of smells attacked his senses; sending him running to the nearest bathroom. After losing the contents of his stomach for the countless time he washed up and stepped back into the corridor.

"Harry?" came a familiar voice. He looked up to see Madame Pomfry waiting for him. "I saw you run in. Are you still sick with that virus?"

"Yeah, I guess." Harry said with a shrug.

"You haven't been taking the potion?"

"I did, but it's like every time I smell something I get sick. And that potion really reeks."

Poppy looked like she was deeply considering his words for a long moment. "How about this?" she drew out her wand and aimed it at the teen's face. She enunciated her incantation and suddenly there was a slight burning in Harry's nostrils. His face scrunched up in discomfort but once it eased he could no longer smell anything.

"There," she said with a proud smile. "Now you might be able to get some food in your belly."

Harry's face lit up with excitement. "Thank you so much!" Harry exclaimed.

"I'll send some more of that potion up to your dorm. Now you go on and eat some lunch." She instructed. "But try to keep it light."

"Yes ma'am. And thank you again." Harry said before hurrying back to the Great Hall. He rushed down the aisle before sitting down with his friends and greedily filling his plate.

"Easy, Harry." said Hermione. "You're sick, remember?"

"Madame Pomfry hexed me so I can't smell anymore." Harry beamed.

"Now why didn't I think of that?" she asked herself. "But just because you can't smell anymore doesn't mean you're well yet, Harry. Take it easy, okay?"

Harry waved her off and stuffed his face with a roll.

Severus was glad to see Harry eating something. He watched the teen from his place at the teacher's table. They had arranged, the day before, to meet after his detention and together they would burn the _Advanced Potion-Making_ text book. Severus had a new one already waiting for Harry, back in his private chambers. After lunch Snape excused himself to the solitude of the dungeons.

It was a while yet that Harry made it down to join his lover.

"I got sick again." Harry said, looking miserable as Severus let him in.

"But you seemed to be doing fine at lunch." Severus closed the door behind him young love.

"Ugh, don't mention food…or the act of eating." Harry groaned holding his stomach. "I fear I'll never eat again." He hobbled to the couch and flopped down on its cushions, laying the tome he had brought down beside him. He explained how Poppy had helped him right before lunch.

"And you thought you could eat _all_ of that?"

"Oh shut it." Harry groaned. "I took some of that potion and this time it's staying, though not without a fight.

"Well let's get this over with then. " Severus moved to stand in front of his lover. He reached down and picked up the text. It felt strange to be holding it again. It felt smaller then it had in his school days.

With a sigh he turned around and tossed it into the fire. The flames licked at the edges turning the pages a dark color. Severus grabbed the new tome off the mantle before taking a seat next to Harry.

The boy slumped against him and Severus moved to accommodate. He draped his arm over the teen's shoulders while Harry's head rested on his chest; listening to his heartbeat. Severus found the urge to kiss him silly well up. He didn't fight it too hard, though the thought that Harry was still sick kept him from pushing the boy too far.

Severus lifted Harry's face up and pressed his lips to the delicious ones of his lover.

Late in the afternoon Harry had devised a plan to try and get the information out of Slughorn before he realized how sod-awful at potions he really was. He sat in the common room with Hermione and Ron beside him and the bottle of liquid-luck in his hands.

The three of them had gotten a tear-stained letter from Hagrid that morning explaining that Aragog had died and the funeral was at dusk. Harry hoped that with a little luck he could talk to Slughorn and get the info about that memory, all in time to be there for his friend.

"Are you sure about this Harry?" Hermione asked concern in her voice.

"Now that he's not puking left and right it's perfect. Besides he's _got_ to do this while Slughorn still likes him." Ron argued in his defense.

"Who's to say he won't?"

"Alright guys." Harry said, uncorking the vial and lifting it up. "Cheers."

Harry took a sip of the potion and saved the rest for later. His whole body started tingling and a strange carefree feeling washed over him. He set off on his mission but it wasn't until after the funeral that he got what he wanted. Horace Slughorn was a surprisingly sentimental man.

Harry stepped out of the Hagrid's hut, leaving the two inebriated gentlemen to their drinks. The teen held the unaltered memory firmly in his grasp as he sprinted across the grounds.

He managed to dodge every prefect and night guard on his way to Dumbledore's office. Harry gave the password and took the stairs two at a time. When he reached the door he knocked as loud as he could. The adrenaline ebbed away to allow himself to calm down.

"Yes?" came the head Master's voice.

"It's me. I've got it." Harry said loudly so his voice would carry to the other side of the door.

Almost instantly the teen heard the locks sliding and the door opened wide to reveal a very hopeful old man in his pajamas and nightcap. "Come in, come in."

Harry had to stifle a laugh once he saw the man. His nightly attire was a light lavender color and looked absolutely ridiculous on the otherwise regal man. Harry bustled into the office and quickly handed the tiny vial to Dumbledore.

He watched as the Head Master put the memory in the pensive. Harry followed closely and watched the memory at the same time.

"Horcruxes!" exclaimed the old man. "Of course!" Dumbledore was moving about the room like he had ants in his pants. "It all seems rather obvious now."

"I'm sorry sir. I still don't understand." Harry said, "A Horcrux can't be possible…can it?"

"A terrible thing, Harry. Terrible." Dumbledore turned on the teen to fix him with a very serious expression. "It's very dark magic. By splitting your soul and binding a part of it to an object, it enables that person to essentially live forever, but in order to do that, one must commit murder."

Harry's green eyes widened in shock as he understood. It wasn't like he was just now hearing that Voldemort had killed, it was just surprising. "And Riddle said seven."

"He did say 'isn't seven the most powerfully magic number?'" Dumbledore dropped down to sit on the stairs. "Yes I believe that a seven-part soul is greatly appealing to Lord Voldemort."

There was a long silence while each was left to their thoughts before harry had to voice his. "So, there's no way to kill him? Except by destroying all these Horcruxes?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "I'm afraid not my boy."

"And the prophecy? What if the one to die…what if it's not Voldemort? What if it's me?"

"It could be either Harry. The future cannot be so easily predicted. "Dumbledore explained. "It depends heavily on not just on person's choices, but many. If you choose not to fight, then you choose death. I'm sure Voldemort knows this and will continue to fight."

Harry nodded but was still not fully convinced. He didn't like it. "How do you go about destroying one?"

"The seventh part of his soul resides inside his regenerated body. That seventh piece of soul will be the last that anybody wishing to kill Voldemort must attack—the piece that lives in his body. You've already destroyed one, Harry."

"I have?" Harry asked trying to remember.

"Riddle's diary." Dumbledore answered.

"I did that with a Basilisk fang." Harry said, mostly to himself as he brainstormed.

"Another tool to use could also be the sword of Gryffindor. It's made from * which takes on attributes of something else in order to make itself stronger."

Harry was looking exceptionally happy now. He turned and looked up, his green eyes falling on the sword above Dumbledore's desk.

"Unfortunately _that_ is not the real sword. After the incident in the Chamber of Secrets I put it in the care of Professor Snape, who has hidden it quite properly. At the start of the school break I will take you to retrieve it." Dumbledore rose from his seat and smiled. "But in the mean time don't mention this to _anyone_; especially about the sword. I can't take the chance that someone will find out."

"Of course, Head Master."

**A/N:**_ Awesome! So I'm sorry for the jumpy-ness of this chapter. Next chapter will also be a little jumpy, so I apologize in advance. But major major MAJOR plot in the next chapter. Again if you can't wait a week longer for it, then I suggest going to my blog. I will post each new chapter there a week before I post anywhere else, cause I'm a dick like that. (the link is in my profile) REVIEW! In these next few chapters is where the total number of my reviews will have a decision impacting reaction to where I take the story. Remember I have written several outlines already with various characters deaths planned out. So REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. Hell, I could even kill Harry! That would suck. _


	52. Chapter 52

**BITTER LIES PT. 1**

**A/N:**_ Chapter Gojuuni (52) there is no need for an introduction._

Monday morning, Harry was leaning over the sink in the boy's bathroom in Gryffindor tower.

"Maybe it's not the virus?" came Ron's voice form the door. "You should get Madame Pomfrey to seriously check you out."

"Yeah, Harry," Came Seamus' voice from further behind Ron. "You probably have Mono! Or an STD!" there was a small chorus of laughter but Harry was too busy throwing up to defend himself.

"Shut it you wankers!" Ron shouted.

"Or what Weasley?" Seamus responded.

"Or _this_!" Harry heard a scuffling sound but couldn't turn to investigate.

"Fight, fight, fight!" He heard the others start chanting.

_Dammit_, he cursed as he gagged.

"Stop this instant!" McGonagal's voice shouted over the roar. "The both of you will serve detention tonight and a total of fifty points from Gryffindor."

There were more sounds as everyone quickly dispersed.

"Potter?" came the motherly voice of his head of house. "Let's get you to the infirmary. I can't sit back and twiddle my thumbs any longer." She put a comforting hand on the ten's back. "Let's go."

Harry didn't have the strength or the will to fight her on it. Not that he would have. He was sick of this.

She led him all the way until he reached his destination. "Poppy." She called.

When the nurse came out of her office and saw Harry she nodded with an understanding smile.

"Run a full diagnostic on him. The potions aren't working; it has to be something else." As she spoke Harry was guided to a nearby bed to sit.

Madam Pomfrey drew out her wand and started the diagnostic. A full body diagnostic spell took hours to complete. So after a while McGonagal excused herself for breakfast as she had classes to teach.

Harry just relaxed and settled in for a long nap.

Three hours later he was being roused awake by Madame Pomfrey. His green eyes fluttered open to see both of the women from earlier standing by him.

"Harry?" McGonagal asked making sure he was awake.

He smiled and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Poppy handed him his glasses. "So what is it?" he asked running his hand through his hair. "What do I have?"

"Um…" Poppy sputtered, trying to come up with the words.

When she couldn't, Harry grew concerned as he sat up and eyed the two women.

Madame Pomfrey turned on McGonagal, "You tell him."

"Me?" the woman blanched

"Yes, _you_. That's why I called you out of class."

McGonagal pursed her lips but turned to face Harry again. She smiled softly, it was obviously a mask. "Harry…" she started, but failed. She took a breath and sat down across from the boy on the edge of the other bed. "Harry, you have a lo-…a boyfr-…" she struggled for the appropriate words. "You're in a relationship…of the romantic kind…currently, is that correct?" Harry had never seen her so flustered before; this only made him more nervous.

Harry nodded in response but didn't say anything.

"And, well, everyone and their dog knows your…uh, preferences."

Harry felt his heart race in his chest, thrumming against his ribs rapidly. Could Seamus have been right?

"Harry, it's very important that he know who he is."

_Oh, Merlin_. He thought. It was true. He shook his head and closed his eyes. "I can't. I'll tell him myself, if it has anything to do with him. Please just tell me what's wrong."

McGonagal let out a deep sigh. "You're not going to believe us. It's unheard of."

"I don't believe it." said Poppy taking a seat next to Minerva. "And I double checked. Not only that, but four times, I checked."

McGonagal took a deep breath, "Harry all the tests say…well they say you're _pregnant_."

Harry was silent, waiting for the ladies to start laughing or something. "What?"

"You're pregnant." answered Pomfrey.

"No I heard that, but…what?" This was ridiculous. Did they honestly expect him to fall for this?

"I've never seen it before, but it's not entirely unheard of."

"Poppy's right, Harry." McGonagal interjected. "There's been a handful of recorded same sex pregnancies throughout history. Only a handful, mind you. I can't really explain it, but I recall a book somewhere in the library that covered this subject."

"No, wait…I'm…really?" Harry asked his green eyes, terrified, as he searched their faces. "For real? No joke?"

"Mr. Potter, when have you ever known me to joke?" Professor McGonagal answered with a very serious expression.

"N-no…I can't." Harry muttered to himself. "I-I have to defeat Voldemort. I have to…He'll use this …" Harry's hands went up to clutch at his belly. "He'll use my baby to…get to me. I can't let that happen." He looked up with sadness in his eyes.

Both of the women looked sad enough for him. They were both familiar with the prophecy Harry fought so hard for last year.

"Harry, who's the father?" McGonagal asked. She reached forward and took Harry's hands in hers. "Please. With a situation like this…it's very important."

"No…I'll tell him myself." Harry shook his head.

"Do you realize what this means, Harry?" Madame Pomfrey asked excitement in her tone.

He only shook his head again, pulling his hands free and replacing them on his stomach.

"It means he won't get in trouble. Everything should be fine; the future war aside. "

Harry's brows knit together in confusion.

"She's right." said McGonagal, stealing Harry's attention. "If my memory serves me correctly, and it always has, this didn't just happen by chance, and neither of you could have stopped your union if you wanted to."

"I don't understand."

"I need that book to better equip myself with." She said. "This phenomenon is where the myth of 'soul mates' stems from. But it's my understanding that your _magic_ chose each other; at least to begin with. There was a something about a child of destiny. Oh I remember. This only happens when a certain person, who is either destined to change the wizarding world themselves or their descendants, needs to be born. Magic itself chooses the two most compatible parents for the child. Whether it's based on genetics or morals, no one knows.

The thing is, Harry, this is so rare an occurrence that there's been very little research done. Know, however, that it is very dangerous."

"Of course it is." Harry groaned. "Nothing could ever be easy."

He looked up and eyed the women carefully, "neither of you will say anything, right? Please, for my baby's sake. Don't breathe a word of this."

"Of course Harry. No one else will know." said Poppy, pulling her fingers over her lips in a mock-zipper.

"Except the father, right?" questioned McGonagal.

Harry smiled softly, imagining Severus' reaction. "I have every intention of telling him."

Harry set off for the dungeons the first chance he had. McGonagal had taken him to the restricted section of the library to find the book she could barely remember; while Madame Pomfrey discreetly brewed a morning-sickness remedy. By the time they got back it was ready and Harry had enough to last him through his entire pregnancy if he needed it.

Now he stood knocking on Severus' door. He knew the man didn't have a class at the moment, but it didn't seem like he was in his chambers. Harry huffed and quickly went in search for him.

The teen saw Mr. Filch turn down a hallway and chased after him. "Mr. Filch!" he called. "Wait!"

The crotchety old man turned around and sneered at Harry. "What is it Potter?" he spat Harry's name out as if the taste of it in his mouth was too disgusting.

"Have you seen Professor Snape anywhere?" he asked, affectively ignoring the man's tone.

"Can't say that I have. Haven't seen him all day."

"Oh, thank you anyway." The man huffed and turned to continue on his way.

Harry continued his search. He ran into the Grey Lady and smiled as she approached him. "Have you seen Professor Snape?" he asked.

She gave him an apologetic smile and shook her head.

"Thank you anyway." Harry mumbled before rushing past her.

It was strange. Out of everyone he asked, nobody could tell him where his lover was.

He had just gotten the same answer form Dean and Ginny when Ron came up to him.

"Hey, Harry." He said, "How are you feeling?"

"Miserable." Harry answered. He knew what Ron had meant but his reply was true. He did feel miserable, because he wanted so badly to find Severus. "Hey have you seen Snape?"

"No, but Dumbledore is looking for you; said it's urgent."

"Great." Harry said with zero enthusiasm. McGonagal must have snitched. "Okay, thanks Ron." he sighed.

"Meet him on the Astronomy Tower." Ron added with a grin.

"Alright." _That's weird._ Thought Harry, it was strange for them to meet there. They usually just spoke in his office. _Well, maybe he'll know where Severus is._

When Harry had made it to the top of the tower he was surprised to see no one waiting for him.

"Dumbledore?" Harry called out, but there was no answer. Harry huffed and went to sit down on the small bench there.

Harry waited almost twenty minutes, watching dust dance in the golden light of the setting sun. Just as Harry was about to give up and continue on his search for his lover, there was a loud _Pop_ and the Head Master apparated into the center of the room.

"Dumbledore!" Harry shouted when the man collapsed to the floor. He rushed over to help the old man to his feet who smiled at him.

"Harry my dear boy, I've got it. I've got the second one."

"The second…Horcrux!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.

"I had hoped you'd come with me, but I heard you were in the infirmary."

"Hang on; you can apparate on Hogwarts grounds?"

"There's perks to being the Head Master." the old man winked. He held out his hand and showed an amber locket to the teen. "Here it is." He passed it to Harry who quickly stuffed it into his pocket. "I think we should go retrieve the real sword right now. So we can know for sure if this will work."

"Yes!" Harry beamed. It was great to have a plan.

Before Dumbledore could respond they heard the door open and close. They looked at each other before Dumbledore reacted. "Go." He whispered hoarsely. "Hide and don't come out no matter what you hear."

Harry was confused, but he nodded just the same and quickly ran down the stairs. He stopped at the first landing and ducked under the steps just in time. Draco Malfoy ascended the stairs, wand drawn and ready.

Harry held his breath and listened carefully.

"Hello, Draco." Dumbledore said calmly.

"Who else is here?" the Slytherin asked.

"A question I might ask you. Or are you working alone?"

"No," said Draco. Something in his voice sounded dead. "I've got backup there are Death Eaters here in your school tonight."

"Well, well," said Dumbledore, sounding impressed. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"

"Yeah," said Malfoy. "Right under your nose and you never realized!"

_How_? Harry wanted to shout.

"How?" asked Dumbledore as if he could read Harry's mind.

"The vanishing cabinet, in the Room of Requirement."

There was a moment of silence then Dumbledore asked, "Where's your backup now?"

"They ran into some of your guards. I believe they call themselves your army. I came ahead; I've got a…job to do." Draco sounded like he wanted anything _but_ to do this task.

Did he mean the DA? If so then that meant his friends were currently facing down Death Eaters all by themselves.

"Well then…you must do it dear boy."

There was a long silence before Harry heard a sigh.

"You're not a killer Draco." said Dumbledore. "All those attempts until now…if you had truly wished me dead; if your heart was in the act, I would be dead already."

"It is!" Draco shouted.

"Draco…"

"You don't understand! I _have_ to do this! He'll kill _me_. He'll kill…him. I have to."

Suddenly there was a ruckus from down the stairs as a group rushed up them. They sounded like a herd of cattle. Harry made sure he was safe in the shadows as five Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange, rushed past him. The teen's wand was drawn and his grip was tight; the other hand on his abdomen shielding the little life inside him.

"Very nice, nephew." cooed Bellatrix.

When it was safe, Harry stepped out of the shadows and looked up through a gap in the floor boards above him. He could see Draco standing just inside the door and the others standing behind him.

Draco had his wand aimed; no doubt at Dumbledore. But Harry couldn't see the old man from where he was.

"Hello, Bella." Dumbledore said in a cheery greeting.

"Albus." She spat.

"Charming as ever I see."

"Do it Draco." She hissed in the teen's ear. "Let's get this over with."

"He's not going to do it. Spineless like his father." said one of the Death Eaters. He was in the shadows but Harry could swear it was Fenrir, the werewolf.

Draco didn't retort at all, which was surprising to Harry, after all the years of being antagonized by the blond. The hand holding his wand trembled and the determination in his eyes faltered.

Bellatrix noticed this and put her silver tongue to work. "Draco, don't listen to these idiots. You can do this, you have to. Think about G. Think about him Draco."

There it was again, who the hell was 'G.'? Draco had mentioned it when he ran into him in the bathroom.

"Don't think of this as murder. It's not. You're doing this to save _him_ and yourself…and your future together."

"No…no I'm not. It'll kill him when he finds out what I've done. I…I can't, but…"

"But you must…and who's to say he has to know?"

It was then that Harry had the sense of eyes on his back. He turned around and saw Severus standing on the landing a few steps back. He was his wand raised and ready for a fight. When Harry's eyes fell on him the man placed his index finger to his lips, signaling for Harry to keep quiet.

Harry wanted so badly to tell him right then and there about their baby, but he knew it would have to wait.

And then Severus smiled at him. It was a sad smile that left Harry with a bitter taste in his mouth. The man stepped forward and took Harry's face in his hands he bent down and gave the teen the saddest most desperate kiss of his life. It was as if the man never wanted to forget the way Harry tasted.

And then…he was gone.

Up the stairs he went to face down five Death Eaters and a desperate Malfoy. Harry would've joined him in a heartbeat, would've given him backup, but he stayed safe in the shadows, peering up through the floor boards his hands on his belly.

"Snape," said a fierce looking Death Eater. "Glad you could join us."

"Where have you been?" Bellatrix asked in an accusing tone.

At first Harry was confused by the exchange but he remembered Severus was a spy. It was strange, both of them were always very careful not to mention the war when they were together.

"Had to say goodbye to someone." Severus answered.

"Awe," said Fenrir. "Going to miss your potion's lab that much are you?"

"Shut it." hissed Bellatrix. "We're running out of time, Snape. The boy can't do it."

Severus raised his wand and stepped forward. He placed a hand on Draco's shoulder as he passed.

"Severus?" asked Dumbledore. "I knew this day would come, but so soon?"

Severus didn't respond he just stood at the ready, facing down the Head Master.

Harry held his breath, any second now Severus would spin around and attack.

Severus took a deep breath and, "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted. The green jet shot forward and there was silence. Harry didn't see it hit its target, but he knew it did because Bellatrix squealed in excitement; like her favorite team had just caught the snitch.

Like a bullet they ran down the spiral staircase, Severus practically dragging Draco, and they didn't even notice him standing on the landing.


	53. Chapter 53

**BITTER LIES CONTINUED**

**A/N: **_Just going to continue from last chapter._

Harry chased after him.

All logic and safety for his unborn baby and himself flew off the astronomy tower with Dumbledore. He needed to catch him. if he could catch him, then Dumbledore would somehow be fine. None of this had happened. Severus wouldn't do this. He wouldn't. Not to Harry at least.

This was so unreal.

Harry ran down the steps trying to make up the distance between himself and the enemy. He hated thinking Severus had lied to him; had played him. Destiny or not, Snape was still…Snape.

A double crosser.

A backstabber.

All those times he told Harry how much he loved him…all those times he had moaned his name…was a lie?

Harry's heart raced in his chest, pounded against his rib cage, threatening to break free. He jumped the last 10 steps and kept going without faltering.

When he made it to the main corridor there were screams and sounds of battle. He opened the door and saw his friends battling Death Eaters. But that wasn't what he was looking for.

"It's over!" rang Severus' voice over the roar. "Time to go!"

Harry's green eyes searched through the chaos and landed on his ex-lover's retreating back. Severus and Draco had already made it to the end of the hallway, past all the fighting. They had somehow managed to make it through unscathed.

Harry sprinted, full speed, down the corridor. He dodged hexes and curses; weaved through the battling witched and wizards. Blood was pooled all over the floor, both friend and foe, and Harry slipped more than once, but he always managed to catch himself.

"Harry? Where did you come from?" Ginny shouted. Dean was at her back protecting her six.

Harry didn't answer, he did have time. He just continued running.

"That way!" Neville shouted from his position on the floor. He raised a shaking hand and pointed Harry in the right direction Snape and Draco had turned. Neville was bleeding, bad, but Luna was taking care of him, guarding him from the curses flying around.

"Thanks!" Harry shouted, never breaking his speed and rounding the corner.

The bloody foot prints on the floor showed that they had _not_ gone back to the Room of Requirement; but instead headed for the front door. Harry followed the crimson trail, his grip on his wand was so tight his knuckles were white from the strain. When he made it outside he practically flew down the stairs, stumbling only once. He looked out over the grounds and saw a small group of Death Eaters close to Hagrid's hut.

The teen took off again, his feet pounded the ground as he ran. All thoughts of his baby's safety fled his mind in temporary insanity. All he could think about was that last kiss Severus had given him. It was a goodbye. He wouldn't stand for that. And he knew the second everything died down, the hurt and agony would settle in. He had to have an explination. There had to be a damn good reason for Severus to kill Dumbledore. Harry couldn't think of anything but maybe…Harry couldn't have fallen in love with, and be soul mates with, someone who was the enemy.

Tears burned his eyes, fogging his vision. He hadn't realized he had been crying the entire time. He heard Bellatrix's cackling laughter and saw her set fire to the half giant's house.

"No!" Harry shouted, drawing attention to himself.

The crazy witch turned around, ready to advance on him, but Severus stopped her. "This one belongs to the Dark Lord." He said. He grabbed Draco and pushed him towards Bellatrix. "Go." He ordered but when they didn't move right away he shouted, "Go!"

Bellatrix sneered and took her nephew by the arm, leading him into the forbidden forest.

"Snape!" yelled Harry, raising his wand. "Traitor!" he drew closer, but he was weak now and very out of breath. "Why?"

"Harry-"

"Don't you dare!" Harry roared. "You have no right to call me that!" His voice broke. His whole body was shaking, but he couldn't tell if it was from anger or pain; probably both.

Severus had his wand ready to defend himself if it was necessary. He took a deep breath and his obsidian eyes locked with Harry's emerald orbs, seeming to burrow into them.

Suddenly Harry was back in the forest feeding the Thestrals. Then he was telling Severus he loved him—where he could understand-for the very first time.

"No!" harry cried out. "Get out of my head! Do you wish to torture me?"

"_I'm to reinstate as a death eater and get as close to Voldemort as possible. I've already gotten in. and it's very possible that in the future I will have to do something that you'll hate me for." Severus said._

"_I'll understand, because of what you've just told me. It'll be okay."_

_Severus shook his head. "Besides you'll be fighting from the other side. I'm going to need you to be focused on that. Promise me, that when the time comes, you'll forget about me."_

"_No." Harry said flatly. "I just want a straight answer. Do you love me?"_

_Severus looked down into the boy's emerald eyes, debating what to say._

"_Don't factor in our situation, the future, or the past. Just answer the question. How do you feel right now?"_

_Severus did his best to follow Harry's instructions. And without everything shadowing his thoughts in doubt he could honestly say, "I love you." then it all came crashing back. "But I was trying to make it less painful. Because if we continue this, it's going to hurt a lot more in the future."_

"_I'm just glad you love me too." Harry let out a breath the man hadn't realized he was holding._

"Stop it! It's lies! I don't want to hear them!" Harry's hands were in his hair, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, as if that could stop them.

His memories went further still, to the first time Harry woke up in the man's arms. To more 'I love you' s.

Harry fell to his knees his body wracked with sobs. "Get out…GET OUT!" he screamed so loudly his throat hurt. "You haven't changed!" then the teen took his power back. He might not have been able to fully shut the man out, but he could at least control which memories Snape was seeing; which was better than nothing.

_Harry stepped back reflexively, and Severus grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him, hard, against the wall. Harry made a noise of protest, but that only fueled the man's fire._

"_Accio!" Severus shouted and a roll of toilet paper floated towards them. He quickly transfigured it into a rope and using magic the roped wrapped itself around Harry's wrists._

"_HEY!" The boy struggled to get himself free. It was clear he was frightened, but mostly confused. He had no clue what to do and that scared him more then what the professor was doing to him._

"_Wingardim Leviosa!"_

_The rope that bound Harry's wrists lifted in the air, taking Harry with it and fixed itself to a hook above the boy's head. It had rotated so now Harry was facing the wall._

"_PROFESSOR! No, please stop!" Harry was kicking, his feet a few inches off the floor._

_Severus ignored his protest and grabbed his legs tugging roughly at his pants._

"This is just like back then! I should've known not to trust you!" Harry shouted, rising to his feet.

_Harry shook his head violently the tears streaming down his face now. He bit his lip to keep from screaming or crying, he wasn't sure what he would do if he allowed sound out._

"_You slut! You fucking whore!" Severus slammed into the boy over and over again. "You think you can just flirt with everyone don't you!" Harry's body was trembling even though he had long since given in. "Just because you're the… Bloody… Boy… Who… LIVED!" with each word Snape had shoved in extra hard and with the last, he came deep inside the boy, spilling his seed to the point it leaked out and down Harry's legs._

"I HATE YOU! I wish I had never met you!"

Then Severus' presence was out of his head. The look on his face was unforgettable. "Alright." was all he said, before raising his wand quickly. "Obliviate."

Harry woke up to someone shaking him and shouting in his ear. "'arry! 'arry, wake up!" Hagrid's voice was loud in his ear and it helped to raise him from his unconsciousness.

Harry groaned and opened his raw eyes. They were raw from crying.

"Oh thank Merlin!" the half giant cheered. "I though' ya were dead." Hagrid lifted Harry to his feet. "Ya alrigh'?"

"Yes, thank you Hagrid." said Harry in a somewhat hazy stupor.

"What did Snape do ter ya?"

"He…did…I don't remember." Harry said, trying to remember, he reached up and grabbed his aching head. "Dumbledore…is he…" his eyes widened as he suddenly remembered that he was pregnant. His hands instantly went to his stomach, as if he would be able to tell if the baby was fine or not.

"Don' know, le's go." Hagrid's hair and beard were singed, reminding Harry of the first time he had ever seen a dragon. He was scraped up but otherwise he was fine.

As they hurried back to the castle, Harry desperately searched his memories to find out how he had obtained this little life inside him. He could remember talking to McGonagal and how she had explained everything, but when it came to the father, for some reason Harry couldn't remember anything about him. Surely his memory would return in a few hours at the most.

When they arrived on the scene, the others had all chased away or captured, every stray Death Eater. Dumbledore was dead, killed long before his body reached the ground. He had fallen from the top of the Astronomy tower, murdered by Severus Snape, frequently called Dungeon Bat. Harry still felt a little loopy as an after effect from whatever curse Snape had thrown at him.

The Dark Mark stained the sky like an eerie black cloud. They all raised their wands and defused the ugly thing.

McGonagal made sure that Poppy check Harry and his baby, just in case as she sent everyone home early. After everything checked out and Harry and his baby were both fine, He left with the others.

"Harry saw what happened." said Dean. "Harry, was it Draco or Snape?" the dark skinned boy asked. Harry knew very well what the question meant. Was it Draco who killed Dumbledore or was it Snape? The school's populous seemed to be divided between the two.

"It was Snape. Snape betrayed us all and killed the Head Master is cold blood."

**A/N: **_Okay! So that was chapter Gojuusan! (53) give me feedback, please! Let me know how this chapter, and the one before it, has affected you? If any. Was it what you were thinking would happen?_


	54. Chapter 54

**CAGED IN HIDING**

**A/N:**_ Alright! Welcome to Chapter Gojuuyon! (54) here's a little present for being so patient with me and giving me the right encouragement. It's also an, 'I'm sorry' gift. I'm sorry for taking Severus out of the picture for a while, but here's something to at least ease your pain. I know it can't replace or fix what I've done but It might make you guys happy._

Harry lay in his cot, his hands idly rubbing the small baby-bump that had formed over the last few months. He had gone home with Ron and stayed at the Weasley's. Dean had visited Ginny for a week towards the beginning of summer. The first chance he had, he had pulled Hermione, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley aside. He told them about the pregnancy. Besides the obvious 'how' questions, they asked who the father was. But Harry still couldn't remember. He _did_ remember that he hadn't had the chance to tell him before Dumbledore was killed. They each agreed to stay quiet about it and help when needed. Harry had given the book that McGonagal had given him to Hermione that night. By the end of the week the bushy-haired girl was an expert on the topic.

They prepared for Fill and Fluer's wedding, which was to be held on Harry's birthday. A lawyer came and read Dumbledore's will. He gave Ron his Deluminator, which was the former Head Master's own invention. He gave Hermione an old children's book which seemed to have little significance. And to Harry he gave him the first snitch he had ever caught. Dumbledore had also left him the Sword of Gryffindor, which the lawyer made very clear, was not his to give away.

Harry remembered what Dumbledore had said about the sword and that he had given the real one to Snape to hide. When he told Hermione and Ron about this their hatred for the man grew.

The night the Death Eaters attacked the Burrow was the night the trio ran away. Because of Harry's 'condition' they didn't apparate. They were forced to use muggle transportation to get to Grimmauld Place.

Once there, they discovered the traps Mad Eye Moody had placed for Snape. Harry couldn't lie, they shook him up something awful.

They decided to all stay together in the same room; sleeping side by side. Harry couldn't sleep, though. So he stayed up and moved his hands over his stomach.

He tried to remember…he knew he was in love with someone, but he just didn't know who. He went through all the possibilities. He knew it had to be a Slytherin because Harry was always in the dungeons for some reason, which surprised him. He wasn't sure where to start when he thought about the Slytherin males. He looked over at Ron and Hermione, who were holding hands in their sleep, and smiled. It was sweet, and he hoped that he had done that with his lover. Whoever he was, Harry hoped that he still loved him.

Just then Harry heard a door open and close; and Moody's traps go off. He was alert in an instant. The second he heard the first steps he was up. His wand was ready and he moved to stand next to the door ready to get the ump on anyone who entered. Wordlessly he used his magic to pull the covers off the other two. Hermione woke up looking around. She saw Harry, who motioned for her to stay quiet and get her wand. She did so and quietly woke Ron as well. They both stood up and listened to the footsteps as whoever they belonged to explored the house.

When the sounds grew closer it became easier to tell that there was at least two pairs of foot falls.

Harry didn't like that. It was fine with just one, but two Death Eaters against two undergraduates and one pregnant undergraduate, wasn't good odds.

The door handle turned the three grew tense as it slowly opened. Two whispering voices floated in.

"…going to scare them half to death." said one.

"Nah," said another. "They probably already know we're here. Don't sell my 'pup' out so easily."

Just as Harry was about to attack, Sirius Black stepped into the room.

"Expelli-Sirius!" Harry dropped his offensive posture and closed the distance instantly.

Sirius wrapped his arms around his godson, he was so happy to see him. "Pup!"

Remus Lupin smiled as he stepped past the two.

"I'll get the lights." said Ron as he opened the Deluminator. The light escaped and fled back into the lamps around the room.

"Whoa" said Sirius pulling away. "Getting a little tubby there, aren't we Pup?" is Hermione's cooking that great?"

They ignored what the ex-convict said Keeping the promise to keep Harry's situation a secret no matter what.

"Sirius…how?"

"Remus." His godfather answered. He knew what Harry had meant. How had he gotten free? "I don't know how he managed it."

Harry and the others turned to look at the werewolf. "We took a handful of volunteers and stormed Black Manor." Lupin answered. "We knew, now that Dumbledore was dead, it was only a matter of time before they decided to kill Sirius as well."

"And he wasn't about the let that happen." They shared an expression which Harry felt was very familiar and very private.

"Honestly, it was incredibly dangerous." Lupin confessed.

"Damned stupid, if you ask me." Sirius retorted.

"Yes well, everyone knew the risks."

"Including Alastor, right?"

"What happened to Moody?" asked Hermione. She of course picked up on the meaning of Sirius' words.

"He didn't survive the mission." Lupin answered with remorse in his voice. It was clear that he felt responsible. "And Ron," he turned to face the red head. "Your brother George lost an ear."

"Bloody hell." said Ron. "But he's alright?"

"Yeah, said something about being holy now." Sirius said with a chuckle. "The others are fine too."

Ron heaved a large sigh, "That's a relief."

They sat down and talked about what was going on, and what was likely to happen.

Harry was glad to have Sirius back and in one piece. No one broached the subject of what happened to him while he was a prisoner. No one wanted to know.

"Ms. Lovegood was there as well." Lupin said remorsefully. "We had no idea there were multiple prisoners, we weren't prepared."

"And shit hit the fan real fast." Sirius added.

"Well," Harry said, "We have to go rescue her."

"We can't." Lupin objected. "It's too dangerous. And besides, they will have strengthened their security."

"We can't just leave her."

"Leave the suicide missions to us, Pup." Sirius said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Why did they kidnap her anyway?" asked Hermione. "What could they possibly need her for?" she had asked Lupin but the man didn't have an answer.

"It had something to do with her dad." Sirius replied. After all he was the one that was there with her.

After talking for a while longer, and exchanging theories as to why they needed MR. Lovegood, they all went to bed. Harry still couldn't sleep. So when morning came he was the first one up and about.

Sirius and Lupin had decided to occupy the vacant bedrooms up stairs; while the trio stuck with their already made cots.

Harry wandered the house, choosing to fully investigate the elf heads on the wall. The newest addition was in much better condition than its brothers. Kreacher's scowl was just as angry as it had been when he was alive. The Order must have arranged it since the house elf was still alive when Sirius was captured.

Harry heard muffled voices from further up the stairs. Sirius and Lupin must have been awake. The teen followed the voices and ended up at Sirius bedroom door.

"…surprised they're even here." said Lupin.

"Why?" asked Sirius. "It's the safest place for them right now."

"I know that. You know that. And so does the Dark Lord." The werewolf concluded. "it's the first place he'll look for them.

"But he can't get in. so what's the problem?"

"The problem is we have to not only find these Horcruxes but also find a way to destroy them, other than the sword. And none of us could leave this house, not really, without risking all our lives. So they'd be prisoners here."

"So where do you expect them to go?" Sirius challenged.

"I don't know…but they can't stay here."

"Throw me a bone Remus. We're drowning here. They can't stay but they can't leave."

"Sirius…" there was something in the man's voice that made that one word sound so desperate. "Does it always have to be this hard? Why can't anything just…be?"

There was silence after that and Sirius didn't break it with a response. Harry lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

"Pup?" Sirius called.

"Yeah." Harry answered.

Sirius chuckled, "Come on in."

When Harry opened the door he was faced with two men. His god father was shirtless and trying to shake the wrinkles out of a clean top. The tawny-haired man gave the teen a small polite smile.

"Good morning." He said.

"Morning." Harry answered. But his attention was temporarily stolen from him. "Sirius," he said. "How did you get that scar?"

"Hm? Which one?" the man asked. His body was covered in scars and tattoos; Harry was surprised he had even noticed the new addition.

"the one that looks like it's still healing. He answered. The scar in question, was crescent shaped and on his left shoulder. If Harry didn't know any better he would've thought it was a bite mark. It was bright pink while all the others were faded.

"Oh, that one. Pretty cool, huh?" Sirius beamed stepping closer so Harry could get a better look.

"No sure I'd call it that." Harry chuckled. "Did you get it at Back Manor?"

"This? No, besides, it's a good scar."

"A 'good scar'? How?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well you see, Re-"

"Harry." Lupin interrupted. "What's your plan?"

"Huh?" the teen was a little confused because of his interruption.

"To destroy the locket." Lupin clarified.

"Oh, um…we don't really…" Sirius pulled the wrinkled shirt on, over his head, even though it was a button up. He left the top buttons undone showing his chest. "I mean there's the sword, but then there's the problem of finding it."

"Well, we'll talk about it over breakfast." The werewolf smiled. "Shall we?" he took the lead out of the room; Sirius following him.

"So which room did you sleep in?" harry asked Lupin, making light conversation.

"Oh, um this one." The man said, pointing to a closed door as they passed it.

Harry pretended to take inters tint he elf heads and let the two men go on to the kitchen without him. When they were out of sight Harry went back up stairs. On a hunch he checked said bedroom only to find that the bed didn't even have a mattress. Ron and himself had thrown it out earlier that week because it was full of doxies. "Uh-huh," Harry said to himself. "That's what I thought."


	55. Chapter 55

**LETTER FROM HOME**

**A/N: **_So finally I post up Chapter Gojuugo! (55) . wow that's fun to say…gojuugo…gojuugo…gojuugo…gojuugo…hmm, well I hope you like this chapter, please review! And if you are reading this on ffnet please remember my blog. Bitterseries[dot]blogspot[dot]com. I promise it's worth it. Thank you for reading. _

Without having truly formed a plan, Harry, Hermione and Ron left Grimmauld Place. They used muggle transportation, which was the most difficult thing for them. They weren't sure exactly where to go or really how to get there. Hermione suggested staying out of cities and well populated areas. It sounded good to Harry so they embarked on their journey.

Severus Snape stood at the top of the Astronomy tower. He looked out over the grounds. Dementors flew through the air casting Hogwarts in an eternal winter. Death Eaters stood sentinel at the gates as the children filed their way to the castle. He knew none of these faces would be the one he wanted to see, but still, he couldn't stop his eyes from searching. He missed Harry terribly, and the last words he had said to Severus still stung his already broken heart. He loved Harry, he loved him so much, that now that he faced the rest of his days without him, he couldn't hardly breathe from the pain. Harry was the only good thing to ever happen in his life, and now that he was gone Severus felt completely…empty.

He knew it had been a long shot making Harry relive those memories. He had tried to show him when the teen had promised to love him no matter what. But that had been an utter failure. He had fiercely rejected him even though Severus had tried to warn him that something like this might happen. He had said then, that it was okay, that he would understand. But he didn't.

Severus' eyes wandered away from the droves of Hogwarts students to land on the ground beneath the tower. Albus' body had landed there, crushed from the force of impact. . Severus had killed the man. Sure, Dumbledore was aware that it would happen, in fact he had practically begged Severus to do the task.

The man's mind wandered to the likely outcomes of this war. He had never allowed himself to think about his own outcome. It was highly likely that he would die. And if he somehow managed to survive, he would be arrested and tried providing the good guys won. But Severus didn't expect this outcome for himself. He knew what Harry was. He had learned it from Dumbledore only a week before his death. And he knew that in order for the Dark Lord to be defeated, Harry would have to die.

Severus wanted nothing more than to take his young love and hide together forever. He would gladly give all this responsibility up to someone else. But he knew Harry. Being the Gryffindor that he is, he would willingly sacrifice himself for the "greater good".

Severus swore to himself, right then and there, that when that happened, he would be right behind him. He wouldn't let Harry die alone; even though the teen hated him, and even though he didn't remember anything about their relationship. Severus was a terribly selfish man at heart. He would steal away Harry's final moments, if it were possible.

Months passed and there was no sign of Harry Potter. Wherever he was he was doing a terrific job at hiding himself. But Severus was getting worried and anxious. He had to know if his love was safe and unharmed.

He sat at his desk one evening and wrote a letter.

Harry sat in a rocking chair that Ron had transfigured from a tree branch and placed by the camp fire for him. The teen's belly was now a very sizable swell. One more month and his baby would be born.

Hermione stood over a pot of boiling mushrooms; it was the only thing they had to eat. When they first started their journey, Ron used to complain…a lot. But after he ended up making Hermione cry, he hadn't complained since.

The Horcrux that Dumbledore had fought so hard for was safe in Hermione's purse. Since no one could wear it without totally losing their minds. It was fine there, for now anyway. No one except Remus and Sirius knew about it knew about it and they were both on lockdown at Grimmauld Place.

Harry knew that the Death Eaters would lay siege to the house as soon as they realized harry wasn't dumb enough to set foot at Hogwarts again Remus and his godfather would, "give them something to watch." Sirius had said with a mischievous grin.

Harry hadn't confronted them about their obvious relationship. He figured they would tell him when they were ready. He smiled at the thought of Sirius finally finding happiness.

"If only we could buy us some meat." Hermione groaned to herself.

"What are you talking about? Mushrooms are my favorite." Ron did his best to smile through the blatant lie, struggling only slightly. He stood up from his position on a stone chair, which he had transfigured from a large rock and kissed her forehead. "Thank you love."

The bushy-haired girl blushed crimson and sputtered.

"Oh get a room you two." Harry said, throwing a small twig at them.

They chuckled but Ron was considerate enough to go back to his seat. The couple did their best not to flirt in front of him; mostly because it was rude, but also because was depressed about his own lover. He had never regained his memory after Dumbledore's death and it upset very much.

The teen rubbed his belly feeling his baby kick him in the ribs. Even though it hurt sometimes he was glad to have sort of comfort about his safety; or her safety. That was something he didn't know; whether his baby was male or female.

"Hey," said Ron looking straight up. "Check this out."

Harry and Hermione looked up to see a rather large raven flying in a circle above their camp. It seemed confused as if it was trying to land but couldn't find a spot.

"What's it doing?" the red head asked, eyeing the bird. "Maybe it's signaling Death Eaters where we are." He said, his voice in a panic.

"I don't think so." said Harry. There was something very familiar about this bird, but he couldn't place it.

"It definitely knows we're here." Hermione said. "But the wards should keep it from seeing us or hearing us."

"Or get in." Ron added.

The bird banked left and dropped to the ground. It walked to the edge of the wards and stopped. It flapped its wings in frustration, its feathers poofing out. The sun cast over it, showing a brilliant blue shine.

Harry noticed a piece of parchment tied to one of its legs. "Hang on." He said. "There's a letter." Harry moved to get out of the chair but Ron beat him to it.

"Hold on Harry, I'll go." He said drawing his wand, just in case. Ron walked over to the bird stepping out of the wards.

"KAWW! The bird screeched flapping its wings and flying away from Ron. But it didn't fly far, and landed a few yards away, not wanting to leave with its job undone. Ron walked closer, but the raven walked away.

It went on like this for a while until Ron was red in the face with irritation and Hermione and Harry's sides hurt from laughing so hard.

"Alright," Ron challenged as he stormed back into the wards. "You try to catch bloody thing then."

Harry walked over and stepped out of the protective barrier, fully exposing himself to the creature.

As soon as the raven saw him it flew straight for him, taking perch on his shoulder. "See Ron that wasn't so hard."

"What if someone followed it here?" Hermione asked when Harry brought the raven into the camp; effectively cutting Ron's retort off.

"We'll have to leave very quickly then." Harry said, reaching up to take the letter.

"How are we supposed to do that without apparating?" Ron added his two cents.

"Fine, then we're screwed."

"Lovely."

Harry opened the letter and read it aloud.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Allow me to start by saying, sending this letter to you is completely safe, and will not reveal your location to anyone, including myself._

_I am well informed of the situation at hand. I understand that you are on a very dangerous mission._

_I also understand that you can no longer remember who I am. This may sound strange to you, but we were at one point, or rather throughout a few years in a relationship of the romantic kind._

_I still love you terribly, but I'm afraid I had to tamper with your memory. Not for my safety, but for yours. I know you won't understand any of this, and I am sorry._

_I am sorry._

_Please, just let me know that you're safe. Let me know that you're okay. And if there is anything I can do to help you from my end._

_[Forever and Always]_

_A Friend_

Harry's eyes widened as he read and reread the letter. "Forever and always" was written in Parsletongue. The teen could feel tears burning his eyes as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver watch with a brass tree of Avalon on the front. On the back, engraved there, were the very words in parsletongue as in the letter.

"Harry…" Hermione crossed the distance to her friend and hugged him, angering the raven who flew to a new perch on Ron's stone chair. "This is perfect." She said pulling away to wipe a tear of her own. "Now you can tell him about his son, or daughter."

"No, I can't." Harry said. "What if this bird is intercepted? I can't tell him. Not yet. Not until it's safe."

"But…he'll be born by then."

"I know." Harry hung his head. "I wish he could be there. I want him to know, but I can't. What if he's interrogated?"

"We don't even know who he is." said Ron. "For all we know he could be lying to you."

Harry's face contorted in anguish at the thought and Hermione threw a dark glare over her shoulder at her tactless boyfriend. "No Harry, I'm certain he's not. What about the parsletongue? That proves it, doesn't it?"

"Y-yeah." Harry took a deep breath and smiled. "He said he wants to help. So…I'll ask for help."

"Be careful what you say, exactly. Just in case."

"Of course." Harry smiled again. He was so incredibly happy to hear from him; wherever he was.

"Ask him to send us meat." Ron said before turning to glare at the raven.

"Hey I thought you liked my mushrooms." Hermione said with a chuckle.

Harry ignored their flirting as he stared at the beautiful scrawl across the paper.

**A/N:**_ Yay! Gojuugo! Gojuugo! 0.0 omg I just said it really fast and it sounded like, "Go Jew, go!" wow, I promise I am not a bigot. Suddenly it's not fun to say…_


	56. Chapter 56

**BIRTHDAY!**

**A/N:**_ I expect plenty of reviews for this chapter. So keep 'em com'n. this chapter Gojuuroku (56). _

_Dear Friend,_

_You have no idea how good it is to hear from you. I've known of your existence this entire time. I may not remember your name or face, but I dream about you._

_Thank you for your concern. I am alright, and my company is alright as well._

_We could actually use some assistance; since you are willing. Our mission is at a standstill. Without anything to properly destroy his leftovers we cannot continue. We are out of options, other than basilisk fangs or Gryffindor's sword._

_Also, if you are in the position to do so, please tell Madame Pomfrey I am in desperate need for her and McGonagal. They will understand. If not tell them my nine months are up. That should jog their memories._

_Thank you, [Forever and Always],_

_P._

The reply to his letter made Severus feel pure bliss. He re-read and re-read the letter until he had it perfectly memorized, and even then he stared at the teen's handwriting and smiled softly to himself. Harry was so perfect. He even knew well enough no to give too much away. But what did "my nine months are up" mean?

He didn't think too hard about it because it was obvious only Poppy or Minerva would understand the cryptic message. But there was one thing he knew now, without any doubt, that the two women were on his side; and would help Harry.

Severus had to do his part. He couldn't leave his love alone with no options. He knew exactly where Gryffindor's sword was, or rather, the real one. He had given the replica to Bellatrix Lestrange to put in her vault. No one knew where the real one was hidden except for himself and the man he had killed almost a year ago.

He pushed the memory of that night out of his mind. Severus turned and addressed the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. "Madame, could you please go tell Madam Pomfrey I need to see her."

The acrylic woman only nodded before disappearing from her frame.

Severus sighed and let his head fall into his hands. There was no way Harry's words would be so kind if he actually knew who he was. He was happy nonetheless.

When the kindly nurse knocked at his door he allowed her to enter and told her to sit down in one of the chairs that faced his desk. She seemed nervous, and the Head Master couldn't blame her.

"You needed me for something, Head Master?" she asked, placing her hands on her knees.

"Yes, I've just intercepted a letter and your name was mentioned." Snape said with a scowl.

"My name, sir?"

"Yes." Severus continued. "The sender left his name only as 'P.' and it was addressed to 'Friend'. 'P.' mentioned to 'Friend' to inform you, and Minerva, that 'P.'s 'nine months' are drawing to a close. 'P.' said that you would know what that means."

Judging by the woman's expression she understood it very clearly. "I won't tell you." She said. "You can't make me."

"I can and you know it." Severus challenged.

The woman faltered only barely before her resolve replaced itself.

"But I wasn't asking you to." The ebony-haired man said through a glare. "I was merely relaying the message."

Poppy's eyes widened in total surprise. "R-really?"

"You may choose to do whatever you want with this information. I swear I will not interfere, unless you are discovered. I will feign ignorance and punish you severely, depending on whatever this message actually means."

"You can't be serious. You're helping?" she asked in utter disbelief.

"I never spoke those words." The man growled.

"Right…of course not." Poppy said with the tiniest of smirks. "Thank you for the message, Head Master."

It was still very obvious that the woman did not trust Severus so he said, "Do not tell anyone where you are going or when you are going, or what you are doing. Especially myself. Though I'm sure I didn't need to tell you that." Severus nodded. "You are dismissed."

_Dear P._

_Help has been sent. Crescent Lake._

_[Yours Forever and Always],_

_A Friend_

When the time drew closer Harry, Hermione and Ron travelled to Ron's Aunt's cottage on the beach. It had been empty, Ron said, since she had died almost five years prior. However, when they arrived flue and Bill were living there. They had explained about using it as a safe house. They were more surprised by Harry's "condition" then they were to see the trio.

Bill had arranged, in secret, for McGonagal and Poppy to come, and then Mrs. Weasley arrived a day later.

It was like a small reunion; everyone talking about the war, informing others of the latest developments. Every time Harry's baby kicked, all the women swarmed around him, placing their hands on his belly: except hormone, who had already felt it at least a hundred times before. It was a warm feeling, having his friends near him when he needed them most. He was certain more would have been there, if they knew. It was wonderful having their support.

Harry walked around the small cottage early in the morning one day. The walls were cracked and slightly weather-worn. A wind chime made from seashells hung in a window, a gentle breeze sent its music through the air. The smell of salt water was thick, as the sun stretched its fingers through the window and open doorway. Bill, Ron and Hermione were out fishing again. McGonagal and Poppy were sitting at the kitchen table while Flue made some tea for them and Mrs. Weasley made hotcakes.

Harry looked out at the ocean and smiled. Yes, this was the perfect place for his child to be born. It was so beautiful and so blue. For some unshakable reason harry felt like his lover would like this place. He held the letter he had received in his hand, folded tightly. It almost felt like they were holding hands.

"You are so loved." Harry said to his belly as he pressed his hand to it; pinning the letter between his palm and his shirt. "Grow up strong and grow up happy. I love you." He said, smiling softly. "Your daddy loves you."

"Grandma Weasley loves him too." said Molly Weasley.

Harry turned and saw the women in the kitchen all smiling at him.

"And Aunt Fluer and Uncle Bill." said the petite French woman.

"You know," said Minerva. "When he is in Gryffindor I will have to be strict with myself so as I don't play favorites with my honorary grandson."

"And you know, since he is your child. He'll be in to see Nana Poppy at least twice a week." They all laughed and Harry had to fight back tears of joy.

"He has such a big family." He choked out.

"We could continue." threatened Mrs. Weasley. "Aunt Hermione, and Uncle Ron, Aunt Ginny, and probably Uncle Dean in the future. Uncles Fred and George, Grandpa Weasley, Uncle Percy and Uncle Charlie…who else?"

"There's Uncle Neville." added McGonagal.

"And Aunt Luna." added Poppy.

"And Papa Sirius and Papa Remus." Harry said, adding a few of his own.

"Of course." Mrs. Weasley was beaming now.

Harry stepped away from the window and moved to go into the kitchen with the four women. Suddenly his baby gave a mighty kick, causing a sharp pain to surge through the teen. "Aah!" he cried out his hand reflexively moving to his belly.

"Harry?" Molly Weasley hurried to his side, her panic clear in her voice, making the others worry as well.

"I'm fine." He said with a weak smile. "It was only a kick."

"Are you sure?" asked Poppy, who had stood from her seat; ready to take action.

"Positive." Harry answered. "It doesn't even hurt anymore." He went to sit down and Fluer passed him a mug of tea. They sat and chatted together for a little while before Harry was in pain again. "That wasn't a kick!" he shouted over the pain.

Everyone was in an instant frenzy. Flue set several pots of water to boil while Mrs. Weasley grabbed all the clean linen she could find. Poppy and McGonagal helped Harry to the nearest bedroom. Fluer must have sent her patronus to the others because it didn't take very long for the three to come bursting into the room.

"Is it here yet?" Ron shouted. "Did I miss it?"

"No you idiot." said Harry, rolling his eyes. His face was covered in sweat and he was breathing slow deliberate breaths.

"Why not?"

"Merlin, Ron," said Hermione in a slightly annoyed tone. "It takes longer than that to have a baby. Are you alright, Harry?" she asked turning to him.

"Fine." he answered.

"Well how long does it take?"

"Hours." said Hermione, turning back to her thick boyfriend.

"Could you take him and go?" Molly asked. "Too much help is no help at all."

"Right of course." The bushy-haired girl smiled at her friend before pushing Ron out the door. She didn't have to try too hard. He wasn't that exited to watch a male give birth.

Neither was Bill, who gave harry his best, wishing him luck, and high-tailed it out of the room.

Fluer acted as an in-between character, running from the kitchen to the bedroom and back again. She kept the others updated.

It was a long drawn out ordeal, and the most painful thing he had ever felt, rivaling a _Cruciatus _curse. It was different only in the way that child birth was a pain concentrated in a specific area of the body. There was so much blood everywhere, Poppy looked worried. But she wouldn't tell him if he was fine or not, only made him swallow blood replenishing potions.

Everyone seemed anxious as Harry desperately tried to stay conscious. He was drifting from one to the other because of the pain and the stress on his body.

"Harry stay awake!" Poppy shouted in his ear. "You _have_ to stay awake! Just a little bit more!"

Harry wailed in pain, the sobs wracking his body. He knew crying and screaming, like he was, was pointless. It wasn't going to make it hurt any less. It still seemed like the right thing, though. So he didn't stop himself.

"Fluer!" Hermione's troubled voice was just barely heard over Harry's screams of agony. "It sound like he's dying in there!" she was apparently pounding on the door, trying to get some information on Harry's status. The blond hurried to try and ease their worries. She told them he was alright and would be fine. But the way her voice trebled didn't give much comfort.

Needless to say, it was a very difficult process.

Hours passed most of the day was spent with the four women helping him push, shouting encouragements to him and cleaning him off. The sheets were soaked with his blood and his hair clung to his face. Tears streaked his cheeks and his face was contorted in pain. Harry was certain he looked horrible, but at the moment he didn't really care; nor did anyone else in the room.

Finally, after endless pain and fighting to stay awake, Harry heard his baby's cries. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. It was also the last thing he heard before darkness consumed him.

"Harry!" Poppy screamed, trying to rouse him. "Wake up! Harry!" she forced another replenisher down his throat.

Hermione was in tears outside the room. Ron was holding her fighting back tears of his own. They could hear the entire thing from where they were; the new born baby's cries and Madame Pomfrey, and the others, desperately trying to help Harry.

**A/N:**_ So I'm a glutton for cliff-hangers. Oh well, It keeps you guys coming back every chapter. And here's a teaser for the next chapter. _

_Severus was desperate; tears ran down his face as he tried to reach the teen. "Wake up, Harry!"_

_So there you go. This was Chapter Gojuuroku. (56) Gojuunana. Thank you for reading, please review. _


	57. Chapter 57

**MAGIC'S MISSION**

**A/N:**_ Oh my god! I seriously think this is the longest chapter I've written for this story, I'll go back and check, but I'm pretty sure… anyway, I better get me some reviews! Or the next chapter will be postponed until…like…August or something horrible like that._

Severus was in his office that morning approving some pointless punishments on some of Harry's friends. He knew they would happen even without his approval but he had to constantly fight to stay in the dark lord's favor. Of course killing Dumbledore had helped immensely but he was always battling to stay the "top dog". At this point he was more favored tan Bellatrix Lestrange; the woman who would do literally _anything_ for Voldemort.

The office that had once belonged to Albus was taking on a very Snape-like appearance. His books were on the shelves, as well as various jars housing random specimens or ingredients for potion making. He wasn't used to the big windows that let the sunlight stream into the room, so he had them charmed to be tinted, so it was always pretty dark. He liked it better that way. It made it feel like the dungeons.

All of a sudden Severus felt a sharp, and familiar, pain in his head. The room spun around and the man could have sworn he was looking at a seashell wind chime. Just as quickly as it came, the pain, and vision, disappeared.

Severus hissed in pain as his face contorted from it. This was too familiar. Almost like the visions of Harry being tortured from before. And if he was right, Harry had just experienced some pretty serious pain. The thought that he couldn't be there for his young love made his heart ache.

Severus got out of his chair and went upstairs to his new private quarters. He didn't want to be disturbed at the moment, just in case he saw more through Harry's eyes. And the only way to avoid that was to hide in the one place nobody was allowed. The furniture from his last chambers had been moved to these ones. So it at least felt familiar, still not quite "home".

He sat down on his wing-backed couch and stared at the fire in the hearth. It was as though, if he stared hard enough he would see Harry's smiling face. But he didn't.

He let his mind wander back in time to the first time Harry and himself embraced each other on this couch. And then to the endless conversations they shared during Umbridge's rule of power. It was strange how his favorite memories of the boy were the talks; breakfast together in his kitchen at Spinner's End; fly fishing at Crescent Lake. Sure the sex memories were good too, but really, any moment spent next to the teen had been equally wonderful.

"Aah!" he cried out as the pain suddenly stabbed through him, lighting his nerves on fire.

"…_wasn't a kick!"_ he heard Harry shout out in pain. The room spun and Severus could see an old table with a cup of tea and a platter of hotcakes. Four women were rushing to the teen.

Severus was suddenly back in his chambers, panting as his body recovered from the torture it had just gone through.

The man thought through what he had just seen. Harry's stomach was so engorged it looked completely unhealthy.

His head throbbed and he moved to lie down on the couch. He closed his eyes and saw Minerva and Poppy at Harry's side, rushing him from the table. They led him to a bedroom and laid him down before the pain returned, lasting longer this time.

Severus gasped and grabbed his head as Harry cried out in agony. It felt like his skull was splitting in two.

Just as soon as the pain faded into an agonizing throb, he heard a familiar red head's voice. _"Is it here yet? Did I miss it?" Harry looked up and rolled his eyes at his friend. _

"_No you idiot." He growled through clenched teeth._

"_Why not?" Ron asked, sounding genuinely confused. _

"_Merlin, Ron," said Hermione Granger who had come in with Mr. Weasley and another red headed man, who was unmistakably related to Ron. _He looked familiar but Severus didn't feel like wasting his time trying to figure that out when he needed to know what was happening to Harry.

"_It takes longer than that to have a baby." Ms. Granger continued._

"What?" Severus heard himself shout, as if the group could hear him.

"_Are you alright, Harry?" she asked turning to the teen on the bed. _

"_Fine." Harry said with a forced tone. _

"_Well, how long does it take?" the third member of their trio asked._

"_Hours." answered Hermione. _

_Mrs. Weasley asked them to leave and then Harry's and Severus', pain returned._

_As it drew on Harry screamed his throat raw, and damn near bled out. Poppy kept him awake for the most part, giving him replenishers and pain potions. _

How was this even possible? This didn't make sense. Harry couldn't be pregnant. He couldn't e giving birth right now…could he?

Severus remembered the last time he had ever seen his love. He had "told" him to stay quiet and hidden. And he had done so without a fuss. At the time it had surprised him. Normally Harry threw himself right into the thick of things. But instead he had grabbed his stomach and complied. And then after Severus "betrayed" him, those hurtful words made even more sense.

"_Do you wish to torture me?" "I hate you! I wish I'd never met you!"_

Severus thought he had understood. He had thought that Harry was simply betrayed. But this was much worse. Any moment now the two of them would become three. That was something Harry wanted more than anything; a family. And Severus had ruined that for him…

Still it had to be done. That didn't mean he didn't regret having to do it. In fact, now he regretted it ten times more. And seeing Harry going through so much trouble was more painful than the headache he was experiencing.

"_He's coming!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. "Hang on, Harry!"_

"_Stay awake!" Poppy urged._

_Minerva was helping him sit up and push, as was Poppy, while Molly was bent between his legs trying to help the baby._

"Stay awake, Harry." Severus groaned out, wishing to any good who would listen that he could hear him.

"_Nearly there, Harry!" Molly shouted in excitement. She was covered in blood as she was grabbing at something Severus couldn't see. "You're doing so good! Just a little more!"_

_Harry screamed and threw his head back in agony._ The scene was so hard for Severus to watch.

"_One more push!" shouted the red headed woman._

"_Aah!" Harry cried out as he gave his last bit of energy into that final push._

_Harry fell back against the women panting and sobbing as the pain started to fade away._

_Molly lifted the tiny creature and spanked its rump. The baby was covered in its "mother's" blood, and its skin was so red and blotchy. The cried filled the air making everyone in the room smile. Fleur Delacour, or he supposed it was Weasley now, even clapped. But the euphoria was short lived. _

"_Harry!" Poppy screamed. "Wake up! Harry!"_

It took a moment for Severus to realize what was happening but when he did he reacted, loudly. "Harry James Potter! He heard himself shout. "Don't you dare die! Not now! Only an idiot would leave their child alone!" the man was desperate, tears ran down his face as he tried to reach the teen. "Wake up, Harry!"

While Harry fell deeper and deeper into unconsciousness his dreams bounced back and forth between nightmares and unfamiliar memories.

He saw the interior of an unfamiliar house, with a living room that was more like a library. He saw himself shopping for rare, and expensive, potion ingredients to give as a Christmas gift. But who would want that for a present? He saw fishing rods and a crescent shaped lake in the middle of a frost covered forest. He saw Voldemort, torturing Olivander, the wand maker. He saw himself sitting at Gryffindor table looking up at the teacher's table. The feeling that washed over him when his eyes landed on Snape puzzled the teen. He saw himself walking with ad talking with Hermione about his secret lover. He saw Voldemort brutally molesting the private thoughts and memories of the poor wand maker; searching for something he needed. He saw himself dreaming about the potion's professor. He saw himself walking around the Black Lake, thinking about the ebony-haired man. Why did he know that Snape's favorite color was blue? Why did he know his eyes were a very dark navy color instead of black? Why did he know that the man liked to fly fish? These random bits of information on Dumbledore's murderer were vexing.

Then Harry was in a dark place. He couldn't see anything and he was afraid to move for fear he might trip over something. He shouted out and his voice echoed all around him.

"Harry James Potter!" He heard a familiar voice shout from the darkness. The tone was familiar as well, like Harry was about to get a detention for something that wasn't entirely his fault.

"Snape?" Harry looked around but still couldn't see anything.

"Don't you dare die!" he shouted, his voice echoed all around, touching Harry in a soft and warm way despite the man's tone. "Not now! Only an idiot would leave their child alone!"

"How do you know about-?"

"Wake up Harry!"

"I'm trying!" he shouted back, a little annoyed that he was cut off like that. "I don't know how!" the darkness was hurting Harry's eyes now; with nothing for them to focus on they felt useless. There was no response only silence beyond Harry's echo. "Severus?" he called out. He didn't know why he used the man's first name; it just felt right on his lips. "Severus?" He raised his voice trying to get another response.

"Harry?" the man's voice was no longer far off but sounded very close now.

"Severus!" Harry spun around, his eyes trying desperately to penetrate the dark.

"Where are you?" Snape shouted his voice was frantic.

"I'm here!" Harry stretched out his arms and took a few tentative steps forward.

"Well I can't exactly tell where 'here' is." Harry could practically hear the man roll his eyes and he smiled.

"Oof!" something crashed into the teen sending them both stumbling to the floor.

Neither were hurt only grateful to have finally found each other they groped around trying to find each other's faces so they could get their bearings.

Before Harry could say anything thin lips were crushing his own in a desperate and greedy kiss. Harry's eyes widened in complete shock. But the second their lips touched and explosion of light erupted directly above them. Like one of the twins' fireworks. The light flew out and washed over the walls, casting everything in a very pale green glow.

Strangely Harry wasn't the least bit upset that the man had just kissed him. The kiss felt far too natural and jus…right. Like something Harry had been missing. They pulled apart to look around; Severus rose to his feet helping Harry to his.

As Harry looked around, he noticed that they were standing on an old brick floor in the center of an old cathedral, or more like a rundown castle; at least that's what it looked like to Harry. There was fog everywhere further hindering their vision.

"Are we dead?" Harry asked.

"Merlin, I hope not. That would leave the fate of the wizarding world to Ronald Weasley. All hope would be lost."

Harry felt uneasy. All logic told him this man was dangerous and the enemy; but his heart seemed to reach out as if trying to pull Severus closer.

"That's unusual." Snape said eyeing the space between them.

"What?" Harry followed the man's gaze and was amazed with what he saw. "Whoa." It was just like how Luna had described his aura all that time ago.

A pale green light was emitting from both of their chests, stretching out until they mingled together. It was the same light as the one that was illuminating the room they were in.

_You two are a part of something._ A strange voice sounded. But it wasn't really a voice. It was more like a thought in their heads, or rather an understanding. _Something bigger than your foolish war. Your children will be very important to the fate of magic itself. Harry Potter, you are too valuable to die. Our future depends on your children. They must be your children. _Harry and Severus were so overwhelmed by the pure power of this "voice" they could neither move nor speak, to interrupt its, all too important, words. _These souls, that are destined to be great, must be born from two souls who are righteous, self-sacrificing, pure of heart, and brave. You two were the best candidates for the job. Your descendants will stop the extinction of magic. Understand how important both of you are; and do well to care for yourselves._

_Harry James Potter, you have died this day. We can only breathe life back into you once. Neither one of you must expire until all your children are born. _

The image of two young children, both with glossy black hair and large hazel eyes, stood before them. The girl was in a Slytherin uniform, looking to be about 12. Her hair tumbled in waves of curls down her back and she hugged a potions tomb tightly to her chest. Her eyes were strong and fearless; full of determination.

The boy was a few years younger than her. His hair was a tousled mess and his eyes were full of light and mirth. His smile was broad and beaming; the kind of smile that was contagious and melted hearts of ice. His shirt sported a roaring lion. His pants were torn and the knees and he had bruises and scrapes here and there. They were battle scars of a fearless attitude.

If either of you perishes, so do they. And so does magic.

Suddenly the paralyzing power was gone as were the children.

"I feel like I've just received a firm talking to." Severus commented.

Harry smiled because it fit. Even though the vision was gone, he had managed to memorize their features well enough to remember them later. "I'm going to wake up now." He said in a calm tone, looking up at the father of his children. "Will I remember…what I've forgotten?"

"No." Severus answered. "Not until I give your memories back to you; in person."

Harry felt disappointed. Why was it so important to forget him anyway? He could feel himself starting to drift away, so he quickly asked, "Why did you kill Dumbledore?"

"So Draco wouldn't have to." was the man's answer. "I love you." He added in a hurry. "Forever and Always."

Then…Harry woke up.

**A/N:**_ Okay so lay on the reviews! Also this was Chapter Gojuunana. (57). _


	58. Chapter 58

**A/N: **_Some of you, who are on my Facebook page and frequent my blog (links to witch can both be found on my profile), know that this chapter gave me all sorts of fits. My muse ran away from me and eloped with the Wealsey twins, leaving me high and dry. However by some stroke of luck all of a sudden today I could write again! I was so happy and had to get this to everyone as soon as I could. So please, keep my muse fueled and happy, give her some tasty reviews. Welcome to Chapter Gojuuhachi! (58)_

**WINTER'S BREATH**

Harry couldn't open his eyes it was as if his eyelids were too heavy. There was a sound but I t was too far in the distance for him to make out.

What had just happened? Harry struggled to make sense of it. Snape was "Friend" and Snape was working to help him. Though, Harry was sure that this knowledge needed to stay a secret. But could Harry trust him? This was the man who brutally cut down a very powerful wizard.

Dumbledore's final words echoed in his head, "_Severus? I knew this day would come…but so soon_?"

Now they made sense. Dumbledore had planned this. He had planned to use Severus to get close to Voldemort. It was brilliant; true genius. But who would throw their life away like that?

"_So Draco wouldn't have to_." Severus' words hung over him, tempting him with the answer.

"_You don't understand_!" the memory of the last time he saw Draco filled his mind now. The turmoil he was feel was clear on his face. "_I have to do this! He'll kill me. He'll kill…him. I have to_."

And when Bellatrix mentioned _G._, Draco's secret lover, she spoke about Draco having to kill Dumbledore in order to save him.

Now Harry understood Malfoy's reasons as well as Severus'. But why hadn't Harry been involved? He could've helped, somehow. Then maybe he wouldn't have had to forget.

That sound that had been far away was now screaming in his ear and growing louder as he was brought out of the fog.

"Harry!" it shouted. Funny it sounded a lot like McGonagal.

There was a very uncomfortable feeling on his chest, like someone was dancing on it.

He slowly opened his eyes to see Poppy giving him compressions. Crack. "Damn it,"" she cursed and Harry had never heard a foul word on her lips in all the years he knew her "broke another rib."

"He's awake!" McGonagal shouted looking down at his face. "Harry, are you okay?"

"Hurts…" was all he could say as his hand went to hid broken ribs. The pain was dull, not like it should be if he had broken ribs. The pain reliever potions must still be working.

"Well that happens when you try to die on us." Said the nurse, she was smiling brightly at him, her eyes filled with tears. "We thought we lost you."

"Nah, you know me…always have to put on a show." He groaned with a paned grin.

"He's okay!" he heard Molly Weasley shout from a few feet away. He looked up and saw her with her head out the door. She must have been telling the others.

He looked around for his baby and noticed that Fleur was gone.

McGonagal, as if sensing his unspoken question, smiled and said, "Fleur is washing your baby, Harry. She'll probably bring her back in here after we clean you up."

"Not before I fix these ribs." said the nurse who pulled out her wand and aimed it at Harry's chest. "_Episkey_."

Harry flinched in pain as his ribs re-set and fused back to their normal state. The women then helped Harry to the bathroom and wash up. When they helped him back into the bedroom everyone was there and everything had been cleaned.

Fleur was sitting on the edge of the bed with a tiny bundle in her arms. She was smiling brightly and rose when he drew closer.

"Here she is." The blond said softly. She carefully passed his daughter over to him.

Harry looked down at his baby his eyes filled with love. He had never felt such a strong and powerful feeling. He was certain that nothing could compare to the feeling of becoming a parent.

Harry sat up in bed, propped up by pillows. He didn't tell anyone about meeting Severus in some ethereal, other-worldly place. He didn't even tell them that he knew who her father was.

Scarlet Lily Potter, or really, Scarlet Lily Snape, was bundled up safely in the softest blankets in his arms.

Mrs. Weasley had brought Ginny's used crib and old baby blankets, when she had come. It had been his luck that he had a girl. When everything calmed down he would be able to buy toys and clothes of her own, but until then, Mrs. Weasley was more than willing to share.

The motherly woman had also agreed to care for her in secret. She would live there on the beach with Scarlet, Bill and Fleur. Harry hated the idea of leaving his baby, but there was a war to fight.

Now, more than ever, Harry had a reason to fight; as if he needed more. There was no way he was going to just sit back and let Lord Voldemort go on with his plans, not when his daughter was so fragile and pure. He was going to make this world as safe as he humanly could for her.

The trio stayed there in the cottage as long as possible; giving Harry some time with his daughter. It was heartbreaking when he had to leave her. Everyone was crying and when Mrs. Weasley took Scarlet from Harry the teen felt like he was leaving a very large part of himself behind.

"I want you two to take care of Scarlet…you know…if something happens." Harry said that night as they lay in their beds in the tent. Hermione was on guard duty at the opening and could hear what Harry was saying.

"Of course, mate." answered Ron. "But I'm sure we'd be right beside you though."

"But, just in case," chimed the bushy-haired girl, "We accept."

"Thank you," Harry said with a smile, "Both of you."

Severus paced back and forth in his too large office. He had a daughter. He was a daddy. What was he going to do? What exactly could he do?

Of course he wanted to go running to Harry and the new born. But he couldn't put them in danger like that. He couldn't risk it. All he could do was to keep his cover and not break it.

Oh, but he wished he could be with them. He wished he could hold her and stare down at her beautiful face; and those hazel eyes. The memory of that vision burned on the insides of his eyelids. Now that he thought about it he was a little disappointed that the children's eyes weren't the fierce green of Harry and Lily Potter.

Though the mix of that green and the deep navy of his own color were a beautiful combination in itself. Unfortunately both children had inherited his strong nose. He felt sorry for both of them.

Severus was still trying to understand how a teenage _boy_ could become pregnant. Ha paced up to his desk and pulled open one of the drawers. Inside was the book Harry received from Hermione last Christmas. Severus didn't get the opportunity to return it to him after reading it. He didn't think there was anything related to his situation in it but he was going to double check anyway.

"Crescent Lake." Harry said the next day.

"What?" Ron asked, bewildered.

"It was in the last letter, Ron," clarified Hermione. "But I've never heard of that lake."

"I have." said Harry. "I think we went there together, once. Anyway, I'm sure I can apparate us there."

Ever since Harry had had Scarlet he was free to apparate safely; which was a big help.

"And this lake is supposed to have the sword of Gryffindor in it? The real one?" The ginger inquired.

"I'd bet my broom on it." Harry answered; lately he seemed to have regained his inner fire. It was strange he hadn't realized it had been missing.

"But how would 'Friend' know where Snape hid it?" Ron challenged

"I'm curious as well." Hermione said as she thought. "Also why hasn't Snape given it to the Dark Lord? Unless he _has_ and Crescent Lake doesn't have anything to do with the sword."

"Trust me." Harry said with a knowing smile, as if he was in on some secret joke. "We'll find what we need at Crescent Lake."

And that was the final word. They packed up their camp in Hermione's hand bag then they joined hands and Harry closed his eyes. He concentrated on that small Crescent moon shaped lake then the sensation of being squeezed through a straw took over them.

Harry landed on wobbly and unsteady legs but they were there. His large green eyes scanned the area.

It wasn't like he remembered. Everything was red and gold with the colors of fall. Fallen leaves blanketed the forest floor and mushrooms stood at the base of every tree. The sun stretched its fingers through the branches making shadows dance on the surface of the lake.

"It's beautiful." Hermione commented and her expression was awe-struck.

"It was winter last time so there was frost everywhere. This is the first time I've seen it like this."

"Last winter?" Ron asked, sounding confused.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure. I don't know but I feel like it was."

"Weren't you staying at the school for more Occlumency lessons?" Hermione asked.

"Did I?" Harry tried to think back but realized he couldn't remember a thing from Christmas Break. "I don't remember…but this lake…I know it, but it's hard to…remember…" Harry's face turned solemn and disappointed.

"I'm sorry Harry. Maybe after this horrible war, you'll be able to remember again."

"Yeah and you'll fall into his arms and have a gay romantic reuniting." Ron said with a jibe from his elbow.

Harry play-punched his best friend in the arm. "Yes and it will be gay-tastic, filled with rainbows and rubber suits."

"Wow, too far."

They laughed but Hermione didn't join in. She seemed distracted or rather, like she was waiting for the two boys to notice what she was staring at.

There, standing in the center of the lake on top of the water was a shining pure white doe. Its glowing brilliance radiated as it stood there and stared at the three. It was as if it had been summoned by their arrival.

"It's like yours, Harry," said Ron "Except, a girl one."

"Yeah…" Harry had never seen Severus' Patronus, or not that he could remember, but he was certain this was his. The teen pulled out his wand and smiled. He pictured the vision of his two children, Scarlet and the young boy who hadn't been named yet. "_Expecto Patronum_!" he called out and light shot from his wand tip taking the shape of a brilliant white stag.

The buck lazily walked towards the doe, its head down in a comfortable and unthreatened posture. When it reached Severus' doe their noses touched. They melted into each other forming a single glowing orb that fell under the water's surface and into the lake.

"Get the necklace ready." He said to Hermione, who was watching the scene with intelligent wonder.

She reached into the bag and after a time of digging, pulled it out. "Got it." She said triumphantly holding up the grotesque creation. The necklace itself wasn't that ugly, it looked like something somebody's grandma would wear, but just knowing what its true nature was made it hideous.

"Alright," Harry said facing the lake that was now illuminated by the joined patronuses, "I'll swim down and get it."

"But you don't have any Gillyweed." Ron challenged.

"I've learned a few tricks from the Tri Wizard Tournament." Harry winked at both of them before pulling his shirt over his head, and kicking off his shoes. "I'll be right back."

Harry started wading through the water, heading for the deepest part of the lake. Once he reached waist deep he dived and cast the Bubble-Head Charm on himself. A large bubble of air covered the lower half of his face making it effortless to breathe. Harry wasn't very good at the spell yet and he was sure it wouldn't last very long, but it shouldn't take long to retrieve the sword, so he wasn't worried.

He dove deeper and deeper towards the bright light. The further down he got the colder the water was; so cold in fact that his fingers and toes were numb from it.

When he reached the light he searched all around for the sword and discovered a small underwater cave, it wasn't big enough for more than half his body to fit. He reached in and his numb fingers landed on something smoother than the rocks and colder than the water.

With excitement he pulled the sword out and beamed at its brilliance. He turned around in time to watch the orb's light fade and disappear. All of a sudden the freezing water grew colder, as if someone had dumped ice down Harry's back. It was as if the patronuses had been holding winter itself at bay. But now that the light was gone it came crashing down all around him. His body was instantly in fits of convulsing shivers.

He swam as fast as he could towards the lake's surface; but it was difficult with the bulky sword. He kicked and tried to avoid the metal's sharp edges.

Everything was dark; too dark. He eyed the surface curiously, something was wrong about it. As if someone had thrown a very large blanket over the entire lake.

He quickened his pace as best he could with the sword. Just as he could feel his bubble shrinking, he reached the surface. Dark shadows were moving frantically above him. Then his hands touched the thick layer of ice.

**A/N: **_Oh my gosh! Another cliff hanger? What? Honestly this shouldn't be surprising to any of you. Lots of Love! My muse thanks you in advance for all the reviews she is sure to get. _


	59. Chapter 59

**THE HOWLING**

**A/N: **_So last chapter I left off at a pretty nasty cliffhanger. This chapter we'll just kick off where we left off. So here we go! Chapter Gojuukyuu! (59)_

_Can you guess where this chapter's title comes from?_

"HARRY!" Hermione screamed. She had a rock from the bank in her hand and she was viciously attacking the thick layer of ice that had trapped her friend. Meanwhile, Ron was trying to use magic to control the horcrux, to no avail.

Hermione had tried to reverse the curse with her own magic only for her spell to bounce off without any affect on the ice storm that was now blowing all around her. It was strange. It was almost as if the necklace knew what they were trying to do; and it was protecting itself.

She tried _Expulso_ on the ice; nothing.

She picked her rock back up and continued to pound it into the ice.

All of a sudden something very sharp and metal shot through the ice, narrowly missing her side. She watched it slide back and then rolled out of the way just in time to miss getting stabbed in the stomach.

It had to be Harry with the sword. A crack appeared, connecting the two slits where the sword had pierced through. Then the weapon disappeared again. With a horrible sound, like tiny rocks grinding glass, the sword penetrated again and again. Until, finally, Harry had cut away a circle. He used the sword to pry it down and then his head and upper body erupted from the freezing water.

"Harry!" she screamed reaching for him.

The sword and his wand were sitting just in front of him while he struggled to climb out of the watery cage. He was gasping for air and so blue; whether it was from the cold or lack of oxygen Hermione didn't know.

Then it happened. Hermione grabbed for Harry's arms but was just too late. Harry felt icy fingers, strong and cruel, wrap around his ankles.

He had just enough time to see the look of horror on his friend's face before he was sucked back under the ice he had also had enough of a moment to take a very large breath. Although, he had no hope of fighting whatever force wanted him drowned so badly, because both his wand and the sword were on the other side of five inches of ice.

As he was pulled deeper into the black he saw, with terror coursing through his veins, a very large murky figure that made the shape of Voldemort. Its jaws opened in a wide, gaping and soundless scream. Its long fingers held Harry in place, preventing him from escaping. Not that he could go very far. From what he could see of his self made exit, it seemed to have frozen back together, like a grizzly jig-saw puzzle.

After several long and painful moments Harry's lungs burned for another breath. He thrashed, trying desperately to get away; but failed. The Voldemort apparition seemed to laugh at him in obvious enjoyment of the teen's death. Just when small balls of light were covering his field of vision the muddy cloud that was Voldemort's severed piece of his soul, dispersed into the water. Now was Harry's chance but his limbs were so heavy.

He wanted so badly to let out the breath he was holding and take another. His own body seemed to be fighting him; letting out some bubbles here and there. But he knew that the air inside him would help lift him to the water's surface which was now cracking and melting quickly.

Something large disturbed the water, crashing under the mosaic of ice. The figure had fiery hair and quickly swam towards him. Then Harry couldn't hold his breath anymore; and everything went black.

Severus was standing at the top of the Astronomy tower, where he frequently found himself these past few months. He would pace around the tiny room just thinking, or he would sometimes sit and look out at the school grounds and the sunset or rise.

However, at the moment the sun was shining bright in the sky, spreading its warmth over the early fall scenery. Severus cursed under his breath even standing directly in the sun's light he was freezing cold, as if someone had just poured ice water over his head.

He had sensed, not too long ago, that his patronus was triggered at Crescent Lake. He knew Harry was there because he set up a safeguard that his patronus would only react to Harry's magic. It was keyed to it, so no one would stumble upon the hiding place by mistake.

He shivered and decided to retire back to his office and out of this cold.

"Harry!" Hermione had the teen sprawled out on the bank; his feet were still in the water. Ron was doing his best to wake his friend up. It didn't take long. Harry's eyes snapped open and he began gasping and coughing.

After he had managed to calm down he looked up at his friends and sighed. "I do this all too often." He grumbled sitting up and pulling his knees up.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked sitting back on his heels.

"Nearly die, and wake up to someone, or multiple someone, leaning over me." He answered giving them sideways glances. "It's becoming a bad habit."

At first no one said anything, then they all started laughing. When they got to their feet they moved as far away from the lake as they could. Ron picked up the sword as they went, leaving the shattered locket on a rather large stone.

"So, which one of you destroyed it?" Harry asked.

"Ron did." Hermione said, sounding as if she were going to bust at the seams with pride. "And he was so brave."

"Oh, I'm sure." Harry said with a mocking grin.

"I'm a regular Knight of the Round." the ginger boasted.

Later the trio was camped on the edge of a cliff discussing their next move. They decided that they needed to know what information Voldemort had stolen from Olivander. Ron had sarcastically suggested writing 'Friend' and asking him.

But, they all knew it was too dangerous. They couldn't risk exposing him any further then they already had.

No, they would have to do this on their own.

They theorized that if he was still a prisoner, and not dead already, he would probably be kept with Luna in Malfoy Manor's dungeon. Their only problem was getting there. And after that they would have the problem of getting out in one piece.

"First," said Hermione "we need to figure out what this symbol here means." She was holding the book Dumbledore had left her; open to the page where the strange symbol was written.

"I can't get over how familiar that looks." Harry said. "I know I've seen that somewhere before."

"Well I wish you would remember already." Ron huffed from his position beside the fire. "I'm going loony without a plan."

"Loony?" the wheels in Harry's head were turning because of that one word.

"Yeah, bonkers, crazy, 'round the bend." The red head clarified as if he thought Harry hadn't understood him.

"No, 'loony'…Luna. It was her dad. He had a necklace on at the wedding that had _that_ symbol on it."

"Are you sure Harry?" Hermione was giving him a concerned and yet hopeful look.

"Positive." Harry cracked a triumphant smile.

"And Mister Lovegood would know what it means?" Ron asked looking from Hermione to Harry.

"I would imagine." The bushy-haired girl said with a shrug.

"Well that's great!" Ron beamed. "Now we have a plan."

"Then we can figure out how to save Luna and Mister Olivander." Harry responded.

The next day the trio found themselves ducking for cover under tables and behind Mr. Lovegood's couch. Curses were shattering every plate and window; ripping the roof of the house and creating new and open doorways in every wall.

They had gone to visit the man, who was a complete wreck after his daughter had been captured. He told them the story of the Deathly Hallows and then, shortly after, all hell had broken loose.

It was clear to Harry what was happening. Mr. Lovegood must have sold them out in hopes of saving Luna.

Harry understood. That didn't mean he wasn't angry, but he understood.

The teen dived and rolled to where Hermione was crouched under the table beckoning both boys.

Ron joined not a second later and they all clasped hands right as Hermione apparated them to the woods.

"What the hell!" Ron shouted in anger, sounding more annoyed than angry. "Is there no one we can trust anymore?"

"He's obviously trying to help his daughter." Hermione said, being the voice of reason, as always. But she nearly shrieked when she saw that they were surrounded.

Coming out of the shadows and even climbing down some trees, was a very large pack of were wolves. The moon wasn't out so they weren't in their most dangerous forms, but it was still very clear who they worked for.

Most of them were naked and the only covering them were scars. That was a clear enough indication as to what they were. on each of their forearms were dark marks.

"Well well…" cooed the closest one. He was at least wearing pants. "What do we have here?"

"Run!" Hermione screamed.

Like a bullet they took off as fast as they could in every direction. Harry weaved through the trees as if he were on his broom. Except he wasn't and he knew he could really use it at the moment.

Entrapment curses flew past him encircling everything they hit in chains.

"Shit!" Harry shouted as he narrowly missed getting hit by one.

Harry saw Hermione running about fifty feet ahead of him. She saw him too. And then she aimed her wand at him. The curse hit him hard, on his face. Harry was knocked back by the force and he could feel his face swelling.

Hermione knew they were caught; she had tried to make it to where they wouldn't be able to tell who Harry was. It was brilliant; painful, but brilliant.

A rather large and hairy man grabbed Harry by the color and lifted him to his feet as another brought Hermione with him.

The werewolves escorted Hermione and the swelled up Harry Potter back to their pack leader.

"What happened to you, Ugly?" the leader said eying Harry curiously.

"N-nothing sir." He lied.

"What are your names?" He asked as a third werewolf brought a chained red head to the circle.

"Penelope." Hermione answered. "Halfblood." Her voice quivered in fear as the wolf holding her lifted her hair to his face and sniffed.

"And you?" asked the leader stepping towards Harry.

Harry wracked his brain for a name and finally found one ugly enough to fit him at the moment. "Dudley…uh, Dursley." He answered, out of breath.

"Now why do you have to lie to us?"

"I'm not lying. That's my name." Harry insisted.

"They're not on the list." one of the pack members said. He was flipping through a small book as he spoke.

"Hmm…" the leader used his wand and lifted Harry's bangs out of the way. A wolfish grin spread across his face and Harry new they were doomed.

"Change of plans, boys." He said, stepping back and addressing the entire pack. "We're not taking this lot to the ministry."

**A/N:**_ Oh my gosh another cliffhanger? You have to be wondering 'what the hell are you doing to us, Lexia?' well the truth is, I'm training you to be my masochistic snarry-slaves. There you have it. It's too late to leave, now, you have committed the rest of your lives to pleasure pain. So this was Chapter Gojuukyuu (59)up next, Rokujuu! (60) Holy crap! Sixty chapters! Commences with the dance of joy. Next Chapter is the return of Luna! Give me those guesses, next chapter needs a dedication!_


	60. Chapter 60

**TROUBLE **

**A/N: **_First off this chapter is dedicated to a wonderful reader named Stacey! She frequents my blog and my Facebook page. Thank you so much for sticking with me and giving me so much support! This is Chapter Rokujuu (60) titled Trouble for a reason._

"I can't be sure exactly." said the leader from his position towards the back of the room.

The werewolves had brought them right to the Malfoys' estate which had previously been owned by the Black family. The entirety of the Malfoy family was present; including Draco's crazy aunt.

Lucius, who Harry assumed had escaped prison or was released by the current minister, looked worn to the bone. He was unshaven and had dark circles under his eyes. Even his silvery-blond hair seemed to have lost its luster.

Narcissa looked calculating. While her son looked to be in pain, as if just standing there was extremely uncomfortable.

Bellatrix had Harry on his knees and was poking at his swollen face. The werewolves had taken their wands when they had captured them, and snapped each one in half; so Harry was powerless in his bindings as the woman grabbed his head and tilted it upward.

"Well Draco?" she hissed, turning to face her nephew while still holding Harry's head up. "Is it him?"

There was a very long silence as Draco stared at Harry. Recognition was clear in his storm-grey eyes. "I…I can't tell…" he groaned. He was really in pain. Harry could tell; just from the sound of his voice.

"Draco, look again." growled out his father. "If it is him, and we've captured him, imagine how proud the Dark Lord would be of us. We would be in his favor again." But Draco was turning away from Harry, trying to block out his father's words; and trying his hardest not to look disgusted when he couldn't.

"Come closer, Draco." Bellatrix cooed. She stood, releasing her grip on Harry's face, and quickly grabbed the blonde's wrist. She pulled him to Harry and nudged Draco to kneel in front of Harry. "Take a closer look."

One of Harry's eyes were swollen shut, but the other stared straight into Draco's chrome orbs; sending green fire into them. Now that Draco was closer Harry could tell that the slytherin was trembling like a leaf.

"Well?" snapped Mr. Malfoy. The sharpness and volume of his voice made Draco jump in surprise and their intense stare down was broken.

"N-no…I don't think so." He said with a thick swallow.

Lucius made a noise that sounded like a growl and Bellatrix slumped in disappointment.

"We have the other two, though." Narcissa finally spoke up as her son retreated as far away from Harry as possible.

Bellatrix moved away as well, approaching Hermione and Ron. They had been discovered easily. There was no question as to their identity. "That is true, but without-" she cut off and froze mid step when her eyes landed on something one of the wolves were holding. "Where did you get that?" she practically screamed. She used her wand to point at the sword of Gryffindor as she spoke.

"Was in the girl's bag when we searched her." He answered, acting as if he didn't notice her obvious anger. He was either very brave, or very stupid; Harry thought. "Reckon it's mine now." Stupid, definitely stupid.

That was the wrong thing to say. Bellatrix snapped throwing curses at the pack, choking the one with the sword until he passed out. When things seemed to calm down and the sword was safely in the witch's hands she huffed and barked out orders to some nearby deatheaters.

"Take these two to the cellar!" she grabbed Ron and haphazardly threw him towards Harry, using his own weight as momentum. "While I have a talk with princess here; girl to girl."

Ron definitely didn't want to leave Hermione alone with Bellatrix, but they didn't exactly have a choice. The deatheaters dragged them away and down some stairs. One of them, Harry noticed, was Wormtail. It made his skin crawl when the man grabbed his arm with only four fingers.

The other stepped in front of them and unlocked the gate and then Harry and Ron were pushed into the darkness.

"We can't just leave her up there." Ron said, turning on Harry as their magical restraints vanished.

"I know Ron." Harry said, looking around the shadows. "We'll think of something."

Then from the darkest corner of the large room came a soft, wind-chime like voice. "Harry Potter?"

They couldn't see who the voice came from, but Harry didn't need any light to know who it was. "Luna?"

"Mr. Potter is here? _Here_?" came a shaky voice.

"Is that you Mr. Olivander?"

"Y-yes dear boy."

"If Harry Potter has been captured then all hope is lost." came a third voice, hoarse and full of gravel.

"Who else is here?" Harry asked.

"Griphook, goblin." returned the third voice.

Then came Hermione's screams. Harry cringed knowing that his friend was in severe pain.

"Harry we have to do something!" Ron wailed. "We have to save her!"

"How?" challenged Griphook. "There are magical wards enveloping this whole manor."

"No apparating." Said someone else, but Harry wasn't paying attention. He was busy wracking his brain for a solution and trying to silence Hermione's pained screams in his ears.

"What about elves? They can apparate inside Hogwarts. Wouldn't one be able to apparate in here?" Harry suggested.

"Brilliant idea." said Griphook. "Only, how are we going to summon one?"

"Good point." Harry said, trying to ignore the goblin's snarky tone.

"A portkey might do it." Olivander's shaky voice responded.

"A portkey?" came Griphook's voice. "Fantastic, let me just pull one out of my pocket of portkeys."

"Would you shut it!" Ron shouted. "We're only trying to help."

"No, Griphook is right. Well have to think of something else." Harry said, putting his hand on Ron's shoulder.

But nobody could think of anything, and Hermione's cries only grew louder.

"Wormtail!" they heard Bellatrix's voice shout from above the stairs. It was jagged and sharp like lightening. "Get the goblin! I want to know how this bitch got into my vault."

There was a shuffling noise as Griphook stepped forward; closer to the gate.

"Wait." Harry whispered, putting his hand out to stop the goblin. "It's just Pettigrew, we can rush him and take his wand."

"And then what? Have you forgotten how many deatheaters there are up there?" Griphook hissed out quickly. "It'd be suicide."

"It'd be a right, lot better than just lying down and 'taking it'." Harry snapped, finally having enough of the goblin's pessimistic words.

"We're doing it." said Ron, effectively putting down any other arguments.

Griphook quickly ducked in the shadows and fell silent while Harry and Ron pressed themselves against the wall on either side of the fate. Harry held his breath as he heard Wormtail's sluggish steps coming down the stairs. He looked across the shaft of light at his best friend. Their eyes locked and Ron gave a curt nod.

They were as ready as they ever would be.

Severus had been hard at work on his headmaster~ly duties when he received an urgent letter delivered with Lucius' owl. The letter, as expected, was written by his old friend.

Severus,

Have my son ready and waiting for pick up at Hogwart's gates in half an hour.

We've got him Sev. I know it's him. Harry Potter and his two friends in my house! The Dark Lord will be so pleased. We only need Draco to identify Potter, something's wrong with his face; an allergic reaction maybe.

But it has to be him! The mudblood and Weasley boy were with him.

Wish us luck my friend,

Lucius

Severus hunched over the parchment, his nearly black eyes were wide with terror.

"No…" he breathed. "It can't be." His hands clutched at the edges of the letter creasing it pretty badly.

What was he going to do?

How was he going to stop this?

They needed Draco because they couldn't be sure it was him. So maybe it wasn't; maybe Harry was safe somewhere else. But he knew if Granger and Weasley were there the third had to be Harry.

Severus groaned in frustration, his hand coming up to pull at his hair. He could barge in and attempt to rescue his love. In fact that sounded like a fantastic idea. Better than leaving Harry to fend for himself.

Severus got up and headed out of his office. He had to find Draco before the thirty minutes were up.

He scoured the castle looking for his godson when he wasn't in class, until he finally found him, standing in front of a vanishing door. The Room of Requirement, Severus deduced. "Draco." He called out and was surprised to see tears on the boy's face when he turned around.

"Uncle!" He reached up and quickly whipped them away, trying to convince the headmaster that nothing was wrong.

"Follow me." Severus instructed. He decided it was better not to ask him about it. The man turned and led them down the corridor and then the stairs. He peeked sideways at Draco and noticed he frequently grabbed at his chest; rubbing it or bunching up his shirt. He was obviously feeling very uncomfortable.

"Where are you taking me?" the blond asked once they made it outside on the grounds.

"To meet your father." was the man's answer.

"Why?"

Severus didn't know how to broach the subject, so he grabbed for another. "What were you doing in the Room of Requirement?"

"I wasn't doing anything." the boy said, sounding for the entire world depressed. "I didn't even go inside." The teen stopped and fixed Snape with his icy stare. "Why does my father need me?"

Severus didn't want to involve the boy, but he knew it was no use. He needed Draco's help. He was silent for a long moment, trying to shield how frightened he was. "They've got him."

Draco looked confused, "Who?" he asked.

"Harry." Severus spoke his first name on purpose. Maybe by doing so his godson would understand.

"Potter?" Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, Merlin." Draco took a few paces around his godfather while he digested the information.

"But they can't tell if it's him or not. They need you to identify him." Severus spoke slowly, locking his obsidian gaze with the blonde's metallic one.

"How could they not tell?"

"I don't know." Severus said. "I'm sure you'll understand when you get there."

Draco nodded and broke eye contact to stare up at the castle.

"Draco…I need-"

"I'll buy you some time." The blond said, his eyes still locked on something over the headmaster's shoulder. "I won't be able to do more than that. You'll have to come up with a plan."

"No I wouldn't dare to ask anymore." Severus smiled despite himself. He felt so relieved that he could dance. But he was able to restrain himself.

Severus nodded and after taking a calming breath, he led Draco to the gates and waited for Lucius.

By the time he made it back to his office he had a plan. If Draco's delay could hold off suspicion for half an hour he could save Harry. He grabbed something small off his desk, an ink bottle, and began working. He poured his magic into it, concentrated and made it into a portkey. That would be their only escape unless Harry still had the pocket watch he had given him for Christmas almost a year ago.

**A/N:**_ I don't think that was a cliffhanger. Not by my standards anyway. In my logical mind I would think portkeys are difficult to create. Why else wouldn't everyone have a "Portkey Pocket"? That and apparating is so much easier, and can take you anywhere, not just one place. I don't know the actual science of portkeys and apparition. I could hunt for information on it, but I doubt very many people have thought about it as hard as I have. Anyway that's the way it's going to be in my story and future ones to come. So I thought maybe some of you know how it actually works and will try to correct me. This is just me explaining how I understand it._

_Harry: "Actually a portkey is-"_

_aixelsyD: covers mouth. "Shut up, you'll ruin my perfect explanation."_

_Severus: "Get your hands off him. You abductress." Grabs harry and pulls him to safety._

_aixelsyD "If I'm an abductress, then you're a pedophile rapist."_

_Severus: "You yourself explained earlier that Harry and I could not have stopped our union even if we had wished it."_

_aixelsyD: "That only explains the pedophile part. You could've stopped yourself in Chapter Twelve."_

_Severus: Sulks while glaring at the author._

_Harry: "But you wrote it. You are the one who came up with it. You can't blame your characters for your own sick perversions._

_aixelsyD: "But therein lies the problem. I've already lovingly accepted that part of myself. And I will change for no one."_


	61. Chapter 61

**NO REST FOR THE WICKED**

**A/N:**_this is Chapter__ Rokujuuichi __(61) No Rest For the Wicked. There's a surprise reuniting in here for all of you. I know you've been feeling lonely since Harry and Severus were separated. We know they have. So here you go._

Harry and Ron had managed to grab Pettigrew's wand, Ron had it, and they ran up the stairs. The other three stayed in the dungeon; hoping they were successful. Now they stood trying to defend themselves with only one wand.

Harry looked around and spied Draco trying to stay out of the way. Curses flew around, they had managed to surprise them, but they were quickly loosing that advantage. Draco was pressed against the wall, his wand in one hand the other groping at his chest. His face was twisted in pain.

An easy target.

Harry took off running dodging random attacks that Ron would deflect.

The red head had run straight for Hermione trying to protect her. She had been lying on the floor; a nasty wound in her forearm. Harry had only glanced at it but he could've sworn it spelled out the word, "MUDBLOOD".

Draco noticed his approach and tried to raise his wand to defend himself, but Harry was too fast. He grabbed his wrist and tried to pry the wand free.

"No!" the blond shouted.

"Listen to me." Harry said in a low tone. "Get an elf, send us an elf." If harry was right, Draco was on their side and was trying to help earlier. "Now."

Draco let go of his wand, and harry made it look like he had managed to get it away from him. Harry didn't have time to watch Draco run away. He only hoped the blond wouldn't flake out on them. He turned and started fighting, moving to Ron's side.

Hermione was on her feet now standing close to her boyfriend. "Disarm one of them!" she shouted to Harry.

"_Expeliarmus_!" he shouted, Bellatrix's wand went flying.

"Accio!" Hermione's voice answered and the woman's wand flew into the girl's hand.

Then they were each dueling multiple enemies.

It didn't take long at all for a little house elf to make its appearance. The trio stepped around to shield the creature and they all heard his familiar voice.

"Mister Potter!" he called out excitedly. "Dobby is glad to be seeing you, sir! Only, Dobby wishes it were under better circumstances!"

"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed happily.

"What happened to Mister Potter's face sir" the little elf asked his saucer-sized eyes looking up at him curiously.

"No time. There are three others in the basement, we need you to-"

"Not anymore they aren't!" Ron interrupted. He had spotted Griphook trying to sneak past all the commotion followed by Olivander and Luna. "Bloody goblin." The red head cursed.

"We have to get Dobby to them!" Harry shouted. "Dobby," he addressed the elf now, even while battling deatheaters and repelling hexes they were able to form a plan. "Can you apparate out of here?"

"Of course, sir! Dobby is an elf!" was his answer, making Harry smirk.

"Of course." He chuckled.

"Dobby will get them someplace safe, and then Dobby will be coming back for Mister Potter and his friends!"

"Take them to Tinworth, Cornwall." Ron said over his shoulder.

"Right away, Sir!" Dobby said, sounding like he knew exactly where to go. Then he disappeared, reappearing a second later, right in front of Griphook.

It didn't take very long for all three to know what the plan was. Just as Luna reached out and took the elf's hand, Harry saw Bellatrix out of the corner of his eye. She lifted a nice sized throwing dagger. Her arm was like a snake about to strike.

Harry's breath caught in his throat as he watched the polished metal fly through the air, catching the light and glinting.

"We can't leave without the sword!" Hermione shouted. She obviously wasn't aware of what was happening behind her.

Then Dobby and the three prisoners vanished along with the throwing knife.

"Oh, hell." mumbled Ron.

"Yeah." said Hermione, thinking he was responding to her.

"I don't think Dobby will be coming back for us!" Harry shouted.

"What? Why?" Hermione asked, sounding surprised and afraid.

There was no time to mourn for his friend; besides Harry wasn't sure that the knife had actually hit its mark. Dobby could be fine or only injured. There was no way to know for sure yet. "Tell you in a minute! Just get the sword!"

They fought their way to Gryffindor's sword and when Hermione had it tucked safely in her bag she looked up at the boys who were shielding her while she worked. "Now what?" she called.

"Harry, how are we going to get out of here?" Ron asked, narrowly missing a _cruciatus_ curse.

Harry didn't answer; he was too busy freaking out. On the outside he was fine. But all he wanted was to be with his daughter; safe in the little cottage on the shore. Suddenly the image of the living room with wall to wall bookshelves flashed in his mind. The feeling of comfort and safety washed over him. _That_ was where he wanted to go. And he wanted Scarlet there too, somewhere nothing could hurt her.

Harry blocked an entrapment hex and reversed it, tripping his attacker in strangling chains.

Something weird was happening. The more he thought about that living room the more his leg vibrated. It was certainly odd, but he couldn't exactly stop to investigate it thoroughly. One hand reached down and landed on a lump in his pocket. It took him a while to realize it was his pocket-watch that was going crazy.

"Guys, cover me!" Harry shouted, falling back behind his friends.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver and bronze watch. The engraving on the back was parsletongue and translated roughly to, "Forever and Always". It was vibrating in his hand, and that's when the teen realized. "It's a portkey!" he shouted. Harry's green eyes lit up with excitement and relief. They had a way out.

"A what?" shouted Ron in disbelief.

"Grab on!" Harry ordered. He held the watch in one hand, holding it out for his friends Hermione reached back instantly, still facing the enemy and shielding them from attacks. Her fingers wrapped around the chain.

Ron quickly looked back, "All this time?"

"Hurry Ron!" Harry shouted.

The red head's free hand shot back and covered the watch in Harry's hand.

There was a strong and familiar sensation of being yanked through the air by the naval.

Harry toppled through the air, rolling over his friends until he landed with a crash in a dark room. He heard Ron groan somewhere below him.

"Rough landing." the ginger said. And that was when Harry realized he was on a table.

Harry sat up and climbed down, Hermione and Ron were just getting to their feet, but everything was so dark in was hard to see each other.

Ron pulled his deluminator out of his pocket and light shot from the tip, and into the nearby lamps. Once every light was on, the room was bright.

They looked around and saw cabinets filled with potion ingredients. In the reflection of one of the glass doors Harry could see that the swelling in his face was almost completely gone now. On the table Harry had landed on, there was a high quality cauldron. There was a large fireplace, set in one wall and the only exit was a set of stairs leading up.

"Where the bloody hell are we" Ron asked, looking around.

"Harry," Hermione approached her friend. "Your watch was a portkey."

"Yeah I guess so." He said looking down at the fine craftsmanship.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked.

"No clue. It looks familiar though."

"Well let's find out." Ron challenged, walking towards the stairs.

"Wait." Hermione stopped him. "What if someone's here?"

"What if they are" Ron retorted. "Listen 'Mione. If they gave Harry a portkey to this place, that only activated when he was in danger, I doubt they're enemies."

"We should still be cautious."

"I don't think anybody is even here." said Harry, looking up the darkened stairway.

"Let's go." Ron said. Harry had a suspicion the ginger only wanted to find out who his lover was. After all, he had told them that the watch was a present from him, not that he could really remember receiving it. It was obvious to all of them that "Friend" had made it into a portkey for Harry.

One at a time they climbed the stairs. Ron used the deluminator to light the rest of the tiny house. And to Harry's surprise he was standing in the small living room that was more like a library.

Severus stuffed the ink bottle in his pocket and pulled out his wand. He had run as fast as he could to the gates and now that he was outside the wards he could apparate to Malfoy Manor.

After being squeezed through the space between here and there, Severus pushed open the gates and walked, with deliberate steps, up the gravel path to the front door. He opened the door and stepped inside. He could hear yelling and cursing from deeper in the house.

When he finally found the source he wasn't too surprised to see nothing but aftermath. The large room was destroyed; werewolves and deatheaters alike were petrified by the _Petrificus Totalus_ hex. Some were even wrapped in chains. Others were nursing minor wounds but no one was seriously injured.

Lucius was stomping around the room, a look of pure fury on his worn face.

"They got away?" Severus asked, voicing his presence.

Every head in the room snapped towards him. Bellatrix hissed at the sight of him.

"Severus!" Lucius shouted. "What am I going to do? The Dark Lord…he'll…"

"Don't worry my friend." Severus said, walking up to the blond and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll try to talk to him." Nobody said anything after that. And Severus was itching to get out of there. "I'll come back later." he said to Lucius.

After he made it outside the wards, he apparated to the small alleyway behind his house. It took no time at all for him to open the back door and rush into the house.

"Harry!" he called out desperate. He hoped the teen had made it. All doubts instantly flew away when he saw Ron Weasley's horrified expression.

"Bloody hell! It's the dungeon bat!" yelled the redhead.

A bushy-haired figure, which was hovering over his desk, shot up and spun around. They both had their wands aimed at him in an instant.

Severus raised his hands showing he was unarmed and had no intention of fighting them. He looked from one to the other. They were clearly surprised by his arrival.

"What are you doing here?" said Weasley, his voice rising, threatening the barrier between talking and yelling.

"I live here." Severus answered with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. "I don't have to answer to you lot. Where's Harry?"

The red head made a strange face, obviously confused that Severus just called harry by his first name.

Then, the one person Severus wanted to see, more than anything, stepped out of the master bedroom. He looked from his friends to the head master and back again. He was clearly surprised, but he was more together than Weasley or Granger were.

"Severus." Harry said, sounding a little breathless. But he didn't come running to him like Snape would have wanted. Aside from the "death-dream" they hadn't exactly left on the best of terms. But there was something in his emerald gaze. Something intense that was battling his confusion and wariness.

Ron's gaze shifted from the man to his best friend, the metaphorical wheels turning. "No…it can't be."

"Ron," Hermione approached her boyfriend carefully. "This is a very sensitive subject. We should take a minute to calm down before we do-"

"Him? _Him_?" Ron exploded. "But he's the greasy git dungeon bat! Harry! He's a Death Eater! He betrayed the order! He _killed_ Dumbledore!"

"That." Hermione said, taking a breath.

Harry flinched at his friend's tone. His green eyes were downcast and he was toying with something in his hand. When Severus looked closer he could see that it was the pocket watch. His dark gaze followed Harry's finger as it glided over the engraving on the back.

"Mr. Weasley," Severus said without taking his eyes off his young love. "I really don't care what you or Ms. Granger think about me. The only person whose opinion I actually care about is Harry's."

At that the teen looked up and their gazes locked once more. "After talking to you last, I find it easier to…forgive you; after your explanation that is." Harry said softly while Ron's face grew as red as a strawberry.

"Great! Just great!" said Weasley, throwing his hands in the air. "Now I'm picturing it."

Granger's face turned pink and Severus was certain it wasn't from anger.

"Guys," Harry spoke up. "can you give us a minute?"

Ron looked almost appalled, but Hermione smiled politely, even if it was forced, and took the read head by the elbow. "Of course, Harry, as long as you need." Then she turned to her boyfriend, who was rendered speechless. "Come on Ron, let's explore." they turned and headed up the stairs to the loft bedroom, leaving Severus and Harry alone.

**A/N:**_After the next chapter I'm going to fast forward a ways; try to shorten the endless camping trip.__ Lol__. Anyway, just be prepared._

_So let me know what you guys think of this chapter. No reviews means it was crap and I should stop writing, lots of reviews means it was fantastic and I should never stop._

_Stay tuned for Chapter__ Rokujuuni __(62). _


	62. Chapter 62

**I'D COME FOR YOU**

**A/N:**_ So I wrote this chapter while I was sick so it's a little jumbled. Please forgive me. I just really wanted to get this to you guys. I hope you enjoy it. It's probably a little short too…anyway, this is Chapter Rokujuuni, I'd Come For You. (62) Please review. Your reviews are like medicine and are sure to cure me!_

"Hey." Harry said with a nervous smile.

"Hello." Severus wasn't sure how to act. He wanted to cross the room and take the teen in his arms and kiss him silly. But he doubted Harry's response would be very positive.

Harry bowed his head, letting his tangled hair fall to shield his eyes. There was a long moment of silence, and it seemed to stretch on forever. "Is it…" came Harry's shaking voice. "Okay…to remember, now?"

"Harry," Severus' chest ached. Something strong and undeniable was pulling him towards the boy; and he wasn't fighting it. It took all of three tong strides before the teen threw himself at Severus.

Harry wrapped his arms around the man's middle and hid his face in Severus' collarbone. The ebony-haired man returned the embrace, letting Harry's messy hair tickle his cheek.

"I love you." said the teen, his voice still wavering but not crying. "And I want to remember why. I don't want to think that I feel this way only because our magics are compatible.

Severus took a breath and closed his eyes. "Are you sure? We've had some pretty dark moments. And the last time we spoke you said you wished you had never met me."

"I don't remember saying that." Harry said his voice low and solemn.

"Exactly." said Severus. He leaned back and tilted Harry's face up. "I couldn't stand it if you told me you hated me; like you did then." The sincerity oozed from his words like a hive overflowing with honey.

"Severus, even though I can't remember, I still love you. I'm in love with you. If I had said that, then I was just angry, and probably very hurt. Severus, even now, when my only memories of you are as my teacher and what happened on the Astronomy tower, I love you. I seriously doubt that anything could change that." Harry's emerald eyes shone so brightly they were hypnotizing.

Severus knew it was dangerous for the teen to remember everything. If Voldemort saw them he would use Severus as bait to lure his love into a trap. But if he didn't then Harry would be heartbroken. And besides Voldemort could just as easily see the memory of what was happening right now.

"Alright." He said letting out a defeated sigh. He pulled out his wand and readied himself.

"How about a kiss," Harry suggested, eying the wand. "for luck?"

Severus smirked as he watched the boy's cheeks tinge a light shade of pink; almost like when they first approached each other all that time ago. "I'd love to." With that he leaned forward and pressed his thin lips to Harry's eager ones. The kiss was everything it should be. It was full of love and greedy passion; desperate because they hadn't seen each other in such a long time. It was needy, like a drug addict finally getting his fix. And it was true.

Harry pressed himself against the man, arching his back into Severus' curved posture. The ebony-haired man lifted his wand and gently touched the tip to Harry's temple. Goosebumps rose down the teen's arms and up his neck in anticipation.

"Stop!" Hermione shouted pushing the door open until it slammed against the wall. "You can't."

Severus and Harry, both, jumped in surprise. They quickly took a step back giving each other space.

Granger rushed into the room, followed by Weasley. "Harry's dead awful at Occlumency. He's always getting visions of Voldemort, he just doesn't talk about them. One or two memories of you are dangerous enough; but with all of them there's no way Harry could shield every one."

Weasley was looking everywhere except at Harry or Snape. Granger was flushed bright pink; embarrassed for eavesdropping and more so for having to interrupt. Tears were pooling in Harry's eyes, making them a sea of green.

Severus just stood there, looking and feeling sour. He wished the bushy-haired girl wasn't right. But she was; she always was. Hermione Granger, the great know-it-all. But he decided to keep his opinion to himself. She had helped Harry more times than he could count. "Granger is right." Severus said after a long and awkward moment of silence.

Harry looked like he was about to break down. So Severus reached out and gently splayed his hand on his love's back. Harry instantly calmed down. He wasn't completely okay, but he was under control now.

"Okay," he said with a nod. "But when the war is over?" Severus felt a twinge of guilt in his chest.

"Of course, Harry." said Hermione, smiling sweetly. "We just have to wait until it's safe."

After everything had calmed down, and Severus made tea, they were all sitting in the potion master's living-room. Weasley had finally had the courage to talk to the man and now he wouldn't shut up.

"If you're on our side than why kill Dumbledore? That's the only thing I don't understand. You led us to the lake and the sword. You're the one the responsible for saving our arses from that lot back there. You saved Harry first year from Quirrell when he was hexing Harry's broom. You taught Harry Occlumency, or tried to anyway. And there was the fire in fourth year. But-"

"Fire?" Harry interrupted, smiling through his curious expression.

"Yeah, where you nearly set the bloody school a blaze."

"I don't remember that." Harry shook his head, trying to think back.

"It was before the tournament started." Ron said, trying to help his friend remember.

Severus decided to intercede and save the conversation. "As I recall," he started. "That was one of the memories involving myself." Meaning it had been erased. "But I had told Harry to do anything to get a detention; so we could have an actual date. However, he had remembered his supplies, and arrived on time. I'm sure you had something to do with that, Ms. Granger. And he failed to realize that the antidotes we were working on were highly flammable." Severus smirked while Hermione chuckled and Ron just felt awkward. He was having trouble accepting the couple.

"You know," Hermione started. "Every time I would ask Harry who he was seeing, he would say that I wouldn't approve; that I wouldn't like him." she stopped to laugh. "All this time I suspected it was Draco."

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief, his green eyes widening in overdramatized horror.

"Not sure which is worse." Ron muttered.

"Definitely Malfoy." Harry said with a nervous chuckle.

Suddenly Ron burst into a fit of laughter; surprising everyone. "I just…realized…" he between laughs. "where…Scarlet got…her nose from."

"Very tactful, Ron." Hermione commented. "I wasn't going to say anything."

Severus turned and looked at Harry head-on. "You named her Scarlet? It's beautiful."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Thank you. I hoped you'd like it."

"Harry, tell him her full name." Hermione suggested, just as Ron was regaining composer.

"Scarlet Lily…uh, Potter at the moment, but I'm sure we can change it later."

"After your mother, It's very beautiful."

"I hope you don't mind, but I asked Ron and Hermione to be the god parents."

Severus nodded and eyed the two teenagers. "It's a wise decision. However, I'd feel more comfortable with someone who had more experience."

"If anything happens to either of you, we'll take good care of her." Ron said, wearing a very serious expression.

"It's not likely to happen, but it's nice to have a plan." said Granger with a soft smile.

The quilt was eating away at Severus. He knew what would have to happen if they were to win. If there was any other way, the man would do everything he could to save Harry from his fate. In the past Severus had planned to follow his love and accept death's icy embrace. But now he had a daughter; a little piece of Harry that would be left behind. He couldn't do it, now. No matter how much it would hurt to live without Harry, he would do his best for Scarlet.

"Hang on," said Weasley, bringing Severus back to the tiny living-room. "How is it you know about your daughter?"

"I didn't…not until she was born." The man answered and he and Harry tried their best to explain the mental connection between them and what happened when the teen had died. They didn't fully understand it but decided that it had to be true.

The group discussed their plans and possible locations of Voldemort's Horcruxes- the man wasn't of very much help—for another hour before Severus sighed at the clock. "They're going to wonder where I've been." He said.

"That can't be good." Harry said as they all stood.

"Here," Hermione reached into her purse and after a long time of digging, resorted to using magic. "_Accio_ Time-Turner." A long golden chain, with a familiar medallion attached, flew out of the small bag. "I used this third year to get to all my classes. Harry and I used it to save Sirius."

"And Buckbeak." Ron added.

Severus accepted the trinket and smiled. "Thank you." He said. He could see the reaction his smile had on the teens. "You just saved me from two hours of 'interrogation'. Please, let me give you something in return." The man walked over to the desk that was in the corner of the room and opened the drawer. Inside was a box of Bezoars that he had used to save Harry's life last Christmas. He walked back and handed the box to her. "There's about five left, maybe you'll have a need for them."

"Thank you." She said with a nod. She took the box and stuffed it into her handbag before turning and heading to the back door.

Harry and Severus stayed where they were, trying to act normal, while Ron looked between the two. There was an awkward moment where Harry smiled at his friend, trying to give him the message. Ron just smiled back.

Hermione walked back and took her boyfriend by the arm. "We'll just give you two a moment."

"Wha-oh!" the ginger stammered as he was pulled outside.

When the door swung closed Harry turned and faced Severus. "Well…I guess we'll be going now."

"This is a better goodbye than last time." The man remarked.

Harry gave a sheepish shrug and reached up to rub the back of his neck.

"But there is one thing that would make it even better." Severus gave a sly smirk as his arm snaked around Harry's waist, pulling the boy flush against him. "If you would allow me to kiss you goodbye."

"Of course you can." Harry said in a low whisper.

Their lips met and electricity shot through every single nerve in Severus' body. He pulled out his wand and touched the tip to Harry's temple. The boy pulled back, breaking the kiss, and looked up at him. "I want to, but we can't."

"It's just one." Severus said shaking his head. "The most important one."

Harry smiled and allowed their lips to meet again.

**A/N:**_ So I hope this chapter was written semi-intelligible. I'm still feeling sick so I need some reviews to make me better. Next chapter I plan on fast-forwarding a ways and bring the ending ever closer. This was Chapter Rokujuuni(62) please stay tuned for Rokujuusan! (63)_


	63. Chapter 63

**RENEGADE**

**A/N:**_ Okay here's the new chapter! Chapter Rokujuusan! (63) Renegade. I name this chapter after Stix's song Renegade. I love it; you'll love it too. Please review! Your comments are my crack and I much sniff them!_

Harry, Ron and Hermione apparated to the small cottage on the beach when they had all three stepped into the alley. Dobby had been seriously injured by the knife but had managed to hold on long enough to see his friends. Everyone else had been worried sick, making calls to the Order, trying to come up with a plan to somehow save the trio. Harry had introduced Dobby to Scarlet, while he lay in a full size bed that dwarfed his tiny body. The little elf talked about the future, promising to serve the Potter family for the rest of his days. Harry smiled and thanked his friend, taking his hand and watching as Dobby's large eyes closed. They didn't open again. And Harry wept as he held his daughter close to his chest.

Harry and Ron dug a grave for the elf, without magic, on the top of a cliff that overlooked the ocean.

After that, with barely a time for grieving, they made plans with Griphook to break into Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts. They all seemed positive that there was another Horcrux there. But the goblin ended up betraying the group. He took the sword and left them with an army of attacking Deatheaters, a very angry dragon, and a soul infused creation of evil; and no way to destroy it. They had scarcely escaped only because Hermione had jumped on the dragon's back. The boys followed her and they managed to get out, breaking through the glass ceiling of the bank.

After that Harry had a vision of Lord Voldemort and something to do with Ravenclaw. They determined that there had to be another Horcrux hidden at Hogwarts. So they made plans to sneak into the school. Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus' brother, had helped them evade the Deatheaters in Hogsmeade and summoned Neville through a secret passageway that led them into a large room where the members of Dumbledor's Army were kept outside of classes; locked away like prisoners of war. Which, Harry supposed they were in a sense.

Everyone seemed very happy to see Harry. Until he explained their mission, however. They had nothing to go on and it seemed hopeless. Until Luna spoke up that is. "Well there's Ravenclaw's lost diadem."

"Great!" said Harry grasping at any hope he could. "What's that?"

"It's sort of like a crown." said Cho. "But it's been lost for hundreds of years. There isn't anyone alive who's seen it."

"Great." said Ron with less enthusiasm than Harry had. "How are we supposed to find something that nobody's seen for a century?" he challenged Harry.

"I don't know." The teen answered. "But it's the only shot we've got."

Everyone separated into small groups and discussed the possible locations of Ravenclaw's diadem. Harry approached Hermione and sat down next to her. She was alone while Ron was talking with Dean and Ginny.

"'Mione?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have the Marauder's Map in your bag?" he asked.

"Yes. I figured we would need it."

"Can I see it please?"

"Of course Harry." She said before opening the small hand bag and summoning the map. "Here you go." She handed him the blank paper.

Harry pulled out Draco's wand and tapped it to the paper. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The school's layout printed itself across the paper. He turned the pages until he found what, or rather who, he was looking for.

There he was, in the head master's office, pacing back and forth; much like how Dumbledore used to. Harry smiled fondly at Severus' footprints. His gaze followed the steps as he remembered the one memory Severus' had given him. He had pondered over it several times before already, absorbing every detail.

"_What's wrong with your hand?" he asked pulling it closer and working the wrappings._

"_It's nothing." Harry said trying to pull his hand free. "It doesn't matter."_

_Severus froze when he saw the words, the bandages clinched in his fist. "It doesn't matter?" He asked his voice tainted with anger. "Who did this?" Harry turned his face away, and stopped struggling. It was then that the man remembered the detention his lover had to attend last night. "Umbridge." it was more of a statement, answering his own question._

_They stood there in silence for a long moment before the man pulled out his wand and lightly tapped Harry's hand. He enunciated a fast healing charm and the wound turned into a scar. "There. Does it still hurt?"_

"_No…thank you." Harry rubbed his newly healed hand and smiled softly up at his lover. "Severus, I'm sorry."_

"_Why? This is her doing, and I won't let her hurt you again. I'll see to it she's unable to breathe without assistance." Severus growled his hands clenched tight at his sides._

_Harry chuckled at the image. He realized that this face used to scare him to no other. But now it made him feel warm and protected, somehow. "Please don't do anything to jeopardize your job. Because then I wouldn't get to see you as often as I'd like."_

"_Oh, I'll just have a little chat with her." Severus said, smiling down Harry. There was a hint of mischief and foul play behind it, though. "Don't be surprised if she disappears." he added as an afterthought._

_Harry laughed then and the man wrapped his arms, loosely, around the boy's body. "You promised you'd tell me today."_

_Harry was silent for a moment. "If you behaved yourself; remember?"_

"_I remember, but haven't I done just that?" He asked leaning closer, ink black eyes locked with Harry's._

"_So far, but weren't you just saying something about making Umbridge disappear? Or putting her in a state to where she would need assistance to breathe?"_

"_Well…I haven't acted on it."_

"_No, but I'm not sure you wouldn't." Harry smiled._

"_What if I promise?"_

"_Promise what?"_

"_Not to hurt the hag." Severus said as if that was obvious._

"_Hmm…well…go ahead and promise and we'll see." the boy said with a wink._

_The man let out a breath and rolled his eyes. "Fine, I promise not to hurt the hag."_

"_There's a good boy." Harry said before reaching up and patting the man's head. He laughed at the responding glare. "[I love you Severus.]" He said in parsletongue._

_Instantly the man's grip tightened around Harry's body and his mouth closed over the boy's, before lifting him up and pressing his back against a nearby tree. The kiss quickly heated up in a desperate and passionate expression._

_Harry was taken by surprise and pushed his lover back so he could breathe. "Severus, calm down." he panted._

"_I can't, you have to tell me. What does it mean?" the man said his lips close to Harry's ear as he pressed his body against his smaller lover, sandwiching him between the man and the tree._

"_It means…I love you." Harry said quickly, before he could talk himself out of it._

_Severus' body froze and his breath caught in his lungs. After a short moment which seemed like forever, the man leaned back and looked down into the scared and vulnerable green eyes of his lover._

_After a very long moment of tense waiting Harry was pushing him away, fighting back tears. "I shouldn't have said anything." he mumbled in a voice full of anguish._

"_No, Harry, wait!" Severus reached out and grabbed the boy's arm, pulling him back. "Please, just give me a minute to think."_

"_If you have to think about what you're supposed to say next then I don't need to wait." Harry pulled his arm sharply and freed himself, taking a few steps away keeping out of the man's reach. "I can't believe this…" He said, his voice cracking on the words. "It was just about the sex to you."_

"_No! Harry, that's not it. I'm just worried; this isn't going to work for long. Not with everything we have to do."_

"_So you'll be too busy for me?" Harry shouted surprised._

"_No! Damn Harry, do you even know what love is?" That was the wrong thing to say. Pain and betrayal crossed Harry's already anguished face. _

"_I wouldn't have said anything if I wasn't sure." he said softly before turning and heading through the trees._

"_Harry!" Severus chased after him. The man seemed particularly determined. "Please wait, let me explain."_

"_You don't love me. It's that simple, you don't have to explain anything." Harry said with his back to the man as his pace slowed, almost hopefully._

"_I didn't say that. Actually I didn't say anything. I'm just worried; because of the Deatheaters and Voldemort's return that…pretty soon we're going to have to fight him. Things can't stay like this forever. I wish they could. But…Harry, Dumbledore's asked me to be a spy for the Order."_

"_A spy?" Harry turned around and looked up at the man with concern masking his pain._

"_I'm to reinstate as a Deatheater and get as close to Voldemort as possible. I've already gotten in. and it's very possible that in the future I will have to do something that you'll hate me for." Severus tried to explain without telling too much._

"_I'll understand, because of what you've just told me. It'll be okay."_

_Severus shook his head. "Besides you'll be fighting from the other side. I'm going to need you to be focused on that. Promise me, that when the time comes, you'll forget about me."_

"_No." Harry said flatly. "I just want a straight answer. Do you love me?"_

_Severus looked down into the boy's emerald eyes, debating what to say._

"_Don't factor in our situation, the future, or the past. Just answer the question. How do you feel right now?"_

_Severus did his best to follow Harry's instructions. And without everything shadowing his thoughts in doubt he could honestly say, "I love you." then it all came crashing back. "But I was trying to make it less painful; because if we continue this, it's going to hurt a lot more in the future."_

"_I'm just glad you love me too." Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding._

"_Don't forget it. No matter what happens, no matter what I do, know that I love you. And everything can't be as good as it is now, but if we survive this, and it's all over, I'd like to be with you again."_

"_It's a date then." Harry breathed stepping closer._

"He's going to have to play his role, Harry." Hermione's voice cut through the boy's fantasy.

"Yeah, I know." Harry sighed.

"Let's be as careful as we can, so we don't have to put him in a bad situation."

Harry closed the map muttering, "Mischief managed." It wasn't long after that, that lavender Brown came into the room saying that all the students were needed in the Great Hall.

Harry turned to his friend, "Get a message to the Order." He said as everyone hurried to put on their robes. Ron ran up to them and heard Harry's instructions. "This war ends here."

"Here you go, Harry." Ginny said as she approached. She held out a set of robes that looked too long for him. "One of Dean's extras, if you put it on and stay in the crowd no one will notice you." She explained.

"Thanks." The teen accepted the black robe and smiled.

"I'm sure Lavender's got some for you Hermione and Ron can use Neville's."

"No need, Ginny." said the bushy-haired girl. "Ron and I won't be joining you. But we'll be back and with the Order."

Understanding lit Ginny's blue eyes as she looked from one to another. "This is it then." It wasn't a question but a statement.

"Yes." Harry answered. Her face shifted to the determined expression he frequently saw her wear while on the Quidditch pitch.

"Alright, let's do this." She said.

Severus descended the stairs on his way to the Great Hall. It had been brought to his attention, only a short while ago, that Harry had been sighted in Hogsmeade. Surely his love wouldn't have been foolish enough to try to return to Hogwarts.

Unless…

Unless one of the Horcruxes were there. If that were the case, it was no doubt that Harry would try to sneak into the school. He had probably already managed it. Which meant he could be hiding in the shadows of an alcove at that very moment; watching him.

Severus repressed urge to smile at that thought and forced himself to think about something else.

A Horcrux was here on campus. It wasn't that surprising but Severus had no clue what it was or even where it was; maybe hidden somewhere in the Slytherin quarters? Severus ran through a list of all the objects he could think of, but how would he know which was a Horcrux? How would he be able to tell?

It seemed hopeless. Harry would need time and lots of it if he were going to have any chance at finding and destroying it. The man felt it was a mad game of seek and find.

Severus stepped into the Great Hall through the teacher's entrance and stood at the head of the room. Slowly the student populace filed into the large room like little soldiers in his own private army. The tables had been cleared away to make room for this meeting and Severus had long since fixed the ceiling so that it was just a ceiling. Full of arching beams with the occasional roosting pixie. The Carrow twins were posted at Severus' flanks, eying the students with sadistic hunger.

When the last student was finally in place; standing in uniform lines according to their house, Severus took one step forward and started his speech addressing the students.

"I'm sure many of you are wondering why I've summoned you here today. Almost an hour ago, Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade." He paused for effect and took a few steady paces forward. "Now," he said as he walked. "If any of you have any knowledge as to his whereabouts I invite you to step forward." _None of you traitorous bastards better take a single step._ He mentally cursed as his dark gaze moved over the remnants of "Dumbledore's Army". There was no movement so he continued. "Let me remind you, when we find him, if we discover you've had prior knowledge, you will be charged as equally guilty." He saw a few restless students but only one was moving. Severus' jaw clenched as he watched the form squeeze past the other students.

Severus glared daggers at the boy, but when he stepped into the spacing between houses, everyone gasped in surprise and the man's heart leaped into his throat.

"It would seem you have a bit of a security problem, Professor!" Harry called out. He was standing bold as brass, facing Severus down, matching his glare with equal intensity.

Just then the Great Hall's doors burst open and every single member of the Order marched into the room, led by Sirius Black.

"And I'm afraid it's pretty extensive." His young love continued.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the Carrows taking fearful steps back. Severus looked over each face taking in the hate he saw in every one; with the exception of Harry, Ron and Hermione; who knew the truth.

They were waiting for his response. Was it okay to go to them now? Or should he keep playing his role? Harry was playing his role so maybe _that_ was his answer.

Severus pulled out his wand in a flash and aimed it at Harry. Of course he had no intention of attacking the teen but everyone else didn't know that.

All of the students quickly fled to the edges of the room, and out of the way. But Minerva flew in front of his love and shielded him with herself. Her wand was out and poised for a duel.

When it was clear Severus wasn't going to attack first, Minerva shot a disarming spell at him, which he easily deflected. She shot another, and again he deflected; making sure to stay on the defensive. After a while of this he made his retreat; using a helpful spell he had learned as he Deatheater. He turned into a thick black pillar of smoke and crashed through the window behind the teacher's table; or where it should have been rather.

He returned to his dark master and debriefed him about the situation at Hogwarts. This was it. This was the beginning of the final battle.

And Harry…Harry would have to…Severus swallowed down his grief and listened to his orders.

**A/N:**_ I know what you're all thinking. Will she do it? You know what scene I'm talking about. The scene in the movie that you've only watched once because after the first time seeing it you skip it. Or that chapter in the book you wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Will Lexia kill Severus? Well the answer won't be in the next chapter I'll tell you that much. Stay tuned to find out more!_

_P.S._

_The number of reviews is directly proportional to Severus' chance of survival. _


	64. Chapter 64

**IT'S NOT YOU**

**A/N:** _Okay! So this chapter was named after Halestorm's It's Not You. Which everyone should check out. And listen to while you're reading this chapter. So go! Go now my Snarry-slaves and listen!_

Voldemort turned and seemed to address no one in particular. A string of hisses and sputtering noises, that Severus quickly picked up on as parsletongue, fell from the evil wizard's slimy lips.

Something dark slithered across the ground, out of the tall grass. It was Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini. Severus had to admit that while he was particularly partial to the species, this one made him feel nervous and uneasy.

Severus wasn't fluent in the language by any means but from what Harry had taught him he was able to pick up the basic meaning. The Dark Lord was saying something about keeping the creature close to him and protecting it. Why would such a heartless man care? Unless he had something to gain from it.

"It's the snake! The Snake is another Horcrux." Harry said to Hermione and Ron as they ran up a moving staircase. He had just recovered from having a Voldemort Vision where he was able to put two and two together.

"That's going to be fun." Groaned the red-head. "Listen, Harry, Hermione and I were thinking…" They stopped at the top of the steps to catch their breath. "Since we don't have the sword, and you destroyed Riddle's diary with the basilisk fang in second year…well we think we know where we can get one."

Harry thought for a second before nodding. "Yeah, good. But here," he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Marauder's Map. "Take this so you can find me again."

Hermione accepted the paper and they split up. Harry in the direction of the Room of Requirement, where the Grey Lady had told him her mother's diadem was hidden. And the couple in the direction of the second floor girl's bathroom.

When Harry made it to the empty wall he stood still and closed his eyes. _I need a place to hide something._ He thought and when he opened his eyes again, a large and ornate door was set into the wall.

He quickly leaped forward and hurried into the room. It was so large and so small at the same time. Small because there was little room to move. Narrow alleys weaved through piles on piles of books, clothes, hexed items and cages with tiny skeletons in them.

He stopped and listened, like he did when he was in Bellatrix's vault. Very faintly he could hear something whispering in an echoing hiss. He followed the noise trying to find where it came from he walked down the winding and intersecting paths. At first he heard the Horcrux in front of him then after a while the noise was behind him. Harry walked around in circles trying to pinpoint the exact location.

Harry rounded a corner and smacked right into a wall of well toned back muscles.

"Aah!" the man jumped nearly out of his skin and spun around to face the teen.

Harry jumped back and tripped over a small trunk, toppling over backwards. He hadn't expected to see anyone else in this wasteland. He quickly righted himself, drawing out the wand he "stole" from Draco and aiming it at the rather tall man.

Now that harry took a good look at the man he could tell he was very handsome; in a rugged sort of way. He had long wavy auburn hair tied into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, with a small scruffy beard and stubble for a mustache. He was very fit and squared off in all the right places. He didn't look much older than Severus but something about him gave Harry the sense of hundreds of years of wisdom.

"Easy, Lad." When the man spoke his voice was deep and soothing almost making Harry weak in the knees. It reminded him of hot cocoa and a warm fire place. "You gave me a start is all." He raised his hands in surrender, showing he was unarmed. "What is your name, Lad?" he asked his green eyes keeping contact with Harry's own.

The teen thought he must be joking. This man couldn't possibly _not_ know who he was. Everyone knew that. He must be trying to play him.

"Harry Potter." He answered, keeping his wand at the ready position.

"Ah, so it twaz you who nearly killed the young Draco Malfoy."

"That was an accident." Harry clarified. "I didn't know the extent of damage that spell would cause."

The man seemed to ponder this new information for a moment before finally giving a nod of acceptance. "As I understand it, you, and another man, managed to save his life."

"That was mostly the professor's doing."

"I am grateful nonetheless." The man bowed at his waist, keeping his hands palm-forward.

"Who're you?" Harry asked. "A Deatheater?"

"Absolutely not!" the man's voice deepened when he said that, causing a shiver to wash over the teen. "A horrible suggestion." The man looked genuinely insulted. "Disgusting creatures, they are, for they are not men. A real man would never lower himself to that status."

"Alright, I believe you." Harry said lowering his wand but not putting it away. "But what's your name?"

"Draco prefers to call me G. perhaps that will be suitable enough for you?" the man said lowering his nonthreatening hands.

"G.?" Harry repeated in surprise. "You're G.?" Harry couldn't help but feel shocked and maybe a little envious. The man was downright gorgeous; well spoken and suave too.

"Does Draco speak of me?" G. asked his face lighting up with minute happiness.

"Not really." Harry answered. "I've heard your name mentioned once or twice, but never in any good context. From what I've heard, my enemies threaten Draco make him follow their orders."

G.'s face switched from happy to disappointed, then to anger. "They threaten _him_ or…"

"From what I've gathered, they've threatened to kill you in he doesn't obey."

G. was silent for a long moment. "I am surprised." He finally said his voice soft and velvety. "He is usually so self preserving."

"Tell me about it." Harry agreed. "This past year has been crazy. Everything has turned upside down. Men can have babies, elves are more powerful than wizards, and my lifelong rival is trying to help me without getting caught. Next thing I know the sky will be green and the grass blue."

"Just a moment," G. said looking confused. "A _man_ can be with child?"

Harry sighed, "It's a long story and I don't have the time. Listen, I need to find something in here and I need to find it now. Will you help me?"

"It would be my honor," G. gave another small bow. "What is it we are searching for?"

"Uh, Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem." Harry answered.

"Rowena…" something softened in the man's expression. Such a beautiful lady, and intelligent as well. It would please you to know that I have stumbled upon her jewel once or twice in this area before. You are very close, however, I cannot remember exactly where it is and I am afraid there is some manner of taint on it."

"I'd imagine." Harry responded. "It was turned into a Horcrux several years ago."

G.'s face lit with the fire of rage. "Who? Who dared to disgrace Lady Ravenclaw?" he demanded.

"His name was Tom Riddle, when he was a student here. He changed it to Lord Voldemort."

"Ah, not it makes since. Alright Lad, let us find this wretched creation and destroy it." g. put on a determined expression.

"Yes please." They separated, both staying in the same area as they searched.

G. started exploring a quiet stack of boxes while harry moved around a pillar of objects. He made it a good ways before the whispering grew louder and louder as he grew closer. He couldn't see G. anymore, though it wasn't surprising with this level of clutter.

Finally his roaming hands fell on a wooden, dust-covered, box. With finger prints marring its seamless coating. Inside was an untouched silver crown. Set inside was a large sapphire, surrounded by smaller diamonds. There was even a tear-drop shaped diamond that hung from the center. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry; probably priceless.

There was an echoing step from behind him, but Harry knew G. wasn't in that direction. As he spun around he pulled his wand out and aimed.

Draco, Blaize, and Goyle were standing there with their wands aimed at Harry.

"I'd like my wand back, if you don't mind." Draco said with a sneer.

"What's the matter with the one you've got?' Harry challenged.

"My mother's." the blond responded. "It doesn't quite…understand me. You understand the feeling." It wasn't a question; it was a stab at the fact that Harry's own wand had been destroyed.

"Stop standing around Draco and finish him." Goyle barked. There was nothing but hate in his eyes when he looked at Harry. "C'mon Draco…kill 'im."

Draco looked put-on-the- spot, he looked like he was trembling with terror. Harry knew there was no way the blond could kill anyone, Goyle and Zabinin on the other hand…they looked more than willing to pick up Draco's slack.

In an effort to stall time, and draw G.'s attention, Harry kept talking, raising his voice. Louder. "Why didn't you tell them? Why didn't you tell them it was me, Draco?"

"What're you going on about?" Draco tried to deny it, shaking his head.

"I know you recognized me." Harry argued back.

"N-no I-" Draco stammered, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself that Harry. But he was interrupted by a hot chocolate voice and heavy footfalls.

"Draco?" G. came around bend and stopped when he was in full view of everyone.

"What are you doing here?" Draco exclaimed, his silvery eyes widening in shock.

G.'s face was unreadable, but Harry could tell it wasn't a good expression. "_You_ left me here. I have been trapped amongst these piles of rotting and forgotten items. People put things here not simply to hide them, but to forget about them." His green eyes stayed locked on Draco's own platinum stare. "Is that why you have put me here, Draco? To forget about me?"

"No!" Draco shouted quickly. "No of course not!"

"To hell with this." growled Goyle, making sure Blaize still had his wand trained on Harry he turned and aimed his own at G. "We'll kill them both."

"No!" Draco practically roared. He spun around his face distorted with fury. He quickly side-stepped in front of Goyle's wand. "If you hurt on hair on his head," the blond said in a deep whisper, that everyone heard and caused ice to settle in Harry's stomach. "I will fillet you alive."

Goyle, who, only moments ago was so brave, shriveled and backed away from Draco.

"If anyone is going to die, here, in this room today, it will be Potter."

"Then get on with it." Goyle said. The words were certainly brave but his tone spoke volumes to his fearfulness.

G. moved then, taking elegant strides to stand in front of Harry and facing down the three.

Draco watched his movements, with a sad expression. "What are you doing?" he asked in a defeated tone.

"Choosing a side." The man said with a gentle smile. He rose out his hand toward the blond. "Come here, Draco." He said his voice smooth and heavy caramel. "Together we are strongest."

There was a long moment where the blond internally battled with himself.

"Draco," spoke G. "I understand your earlier decisions. Mr. Potter explained a few things for me. It is okay, Draco, I forgive you." His brows upturned as he continued. "Will you please forgive me my outburst moments ago? I did not mean the words I have said."

The blond took a breath and hesitated only a second before taking a step towards Harry and the red-head.

"What do you think you're doin'?" Goyle shouted his bravery was back and so was his aggressive stance.

Draco paused, his eye locked with G.'s "Choosing a side." He answered before crossing the distance.

**A/N:**_ So did you look up that song? You should have. Anyway, this was Chapter Rokujuuyon (64). Who is this mysterious man? And why is he trapped in the R.o.R.? Holy Moley Draco! We're so proud of you! For each person who reviews you will get one hug from Draco or G. your choice. See you next time in Rokujuugo! (65) bai bai. _


	65. Chapter 65

**BETTER THAN I KNEW MYSELF**

**A/N:**_ Thank you all for waiting so patiently for this chapter. I'm going to remind all my readers on ffnet that I do have a blog where I am at least a chapter ahead. The blog is, bitterseries . blogspot . com minus the spaces of course. This chapter is Rokujuugo, (65). Named after the Adam Lambert song Better Than I Know Myself. _

"Run!" G. shouted pushing Draco to start moving. The blond was staring in shock at Goyle's attack. Large flaming leopard was staring him down.

"Go!" Harry shouted.

They all leaped into action fleeing from the demonic creature. It sprang after them, catching anything it touched on fire.

Harry clung to the box with the Horcrux in it as he ran; Draco and G. were hot on his heels. Harry made a sharp turn down another alley.

"No!" G. shouted after him.

Harry stumbled to a halt before the man caught up with him. G. grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the alley. "Dead end!" he shouted before taking the lead.

With G.'s direction they weaved through the twisting pathways until the door was visible.

Just then the door opened and in came Hermione followed by Ron. They both had a basilisk fang in their hand. Their eyes widened in surprise when they saw the three running and the fire behind them.

"Harry!" Ron shouted as they drew closer. "Are you aware the room's on fire and Draco Malfoy is following you?"

"Very!" Harry shouted back. He reached the door and opened it wider so they could all get out. It was then that he noticed G. was standing a few paces back, just staring sadly at the door. "What are you doing? Come on!"

Draco ran back to the man, he was trying to convince him of something. "Maybe if you try…?"

"I cannot. I am trapped here."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, getting frantic because the blaze was growing closer.

"I was banished here. The room does not change for me. The door does not appear for me. If I approach it, it will vanish and we will all be trapped." The man turned to Draco and took his face in his hands. "Go." He said, there was so much emotion behind the word and his eyes that harry couldn't possibly name them all. "I have lived long enough."

Harry couldn't see the blonde's face but when he spoke he could hear the waver in his voice and the way it cracked. Draco was crying. "If you call that living." Only once before had Harry seen him cry and he tasted the familiar unsettling feeling it gave him. "I'm not leaving you in here. Not again. I can't. You said we were strongest together! How can you ask me to leave?"

"Harry, we've got to get out of here!" Ron shouted; his blue eyes watched the encroaching glow with horror.

"Draco!" G. was shouting now, desperate to save the blond. "Stop being so stubborn!" Do _not_ ask me to watch you die! I cannot! I won't. Please dove," the man was begging now as Draco shook his head vehemently. "Please…take my final words and keep them close to you." G. locked eyes with Draco once more forcing him to keep his head still. "I love you."

"Merlin," Ron said quietly where only Hermione and Harry could hear. "Everyone's gone fruity." His eyes widened with epiphany. "What if I'm gay?"

"I hope not." Hermione responded, equally as quiet.

"I'm staying too!" Draco shouted to the others. He turned back to the man. "How can I leave without giving you my answer?" the blond was still crying, and shaking from fear. "I love you too. Please don't make me leave you."

Smoke was billowing in every direction stinging Harry's eyes. He reached up and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again G. was looking up at him with a desperate expression.

"Please, Lad, get him some place safe." The man rasped, his throat soar from the smoke.

"Help me, Ron." Harry said handing the box to Hermione and stepping forward. Ron followed him as they crossed the distance to the couple.

"No!" Draco shouted. He reached out and grabbed the man's arm. Harry grabbed the blond around the waist and Ron, around his chest.

Draco thrashed, refusing to let go.

"I am sorry Dove." G. said his smooth deep voice full of sadness.

"I won't let you!" the blond shouted as tears fell from his metallic eyes.

Harry and Ron lifted Draco in the air and started pulling him to the exit. They tugged and jerked but Draco refused to give up. They ended up jerking G. a few steps because of it.

"Please, Dove, you must let go." G. gently tried to pry Draco's hands free.

"Let go Draco!" harry shouted as they pulled him again.

"No!"

They pulled and pulled until they got just in front of the door. Hermione was crying while it was true she was never particularly fond of Draco, the scene was very heartbreaking. And Harry had to fight the urge to cry himself.

"Wait!" G. shouted over the roar of the fire. "If I get any closer it will disappear. Draco you have to let go." He reached up and pried the blonde's hands away as gently as he could.

"No please, G." Draco begged. "No!"

As soon as he was loose harry and Ron jerked the blond and ran through the door. Hermione slammed it shut behind them.

"No! You bastards! Let me go!" Draco roared.

"You got him?" Harry asked Ron as they pinned the distraught teen to the opposite wall from the door. His tear-filled chrome eyes stayed locked on the door, waiting for it to start vanishing.

The redhead gave a nod for a response as he got a better hold on Draco.

"Hermione, the box!" Harry shouted as he turned and moved o the center of the hallway. They knelt down and his friend quickly passed the fang to him before setting the box down between them.

Harry lifted the lid, and without bothering to even take it out, he raised the venom infused tooth before bringing it down with all his might. In the same instant that the Horcrux shrieked, sending a wave of magical pressure in every direction, the door to the Room of Requirement flew open and G. ran into the hallway. He was followed by a large wall of flames, taking on the shape of Voldemort's screaming face.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed as the teen grabbed the shattered diadem and jumped up. He ran past G., as the man hurried to Draco, and threw the crown into the fire before slamming the door again. This time the door quickly dissolved back into the wall with G. on the other side.

"I thought you couldn't come out." Ron said in a surprised tone as Harry turned back.

Draco was in G.'s arms, his face buried in the man's chest. And G. was holding him close; almost desperately.

"I do not know." He said shaking his head in disbelief. "But I am grateful."

"Hang on," said Hermione. "What were the conditions of your banishment?"

"Conditions?" G. looked confused.

"What were the words used to banish you?"

"Let us see…It was so long ago. I do not remember verbatim. He was angry with me for informing the parents of his lover about their unlawful relationship. He was angry and we argued. He said something about love and the like, saying that I would never experience it."

"And you broke it." Harry said in awe.

"Like Beauty and the Beast." Hermione commented she was obviously astounded.

"I beg your pardon?" G. asked.

"A muggle fairytale." She explained.

G. looked around the hall, taking special interest in the paintings. "There's so many of them. Helga was always the artistic one. She loved to paint. One day she poured so much of herself into her painting that it moved and talked as if it had life of its own."

"That's very interesting, and I'm sure we'd all love to hear more, but in case you hadn't noticed, we're in the middle of a war. We don't have the time." Ron spoke up.

"A war?" G. sounded confused again. "Well that certainly makes sense. Please excuse my ramblings."

"Let's go." Harry said, taking the lead.

As they started off at a brisk pace Hermione decided to question the debonair gentleman. "You said Helga a moment ago; surely you don't mean Helga Hufflepuff; do you?"

"Of course I do madam." was his suave response.

"And you knew her personally?"

"Yes. She was a very dear friend of mine."

"What about the others?" she asked.

"The other what?"

"The other founders."

"Oh yes, indeed." G. said with a charming smile. "In fact, Salazar is the one who banished me."

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the man. "I knew you looked familiar!" she exclaimed. "You're Godric Gryffindor!"

"Oh how rude of me!" the man berated himself. "I have forgotten to introduce myself." He reached out and took the girl's hand, bending down to kiss the back of it. "My name is indeed Godric Gryffindor; though Draco prefers to simply call me G." He said as he righted himself, giving Hermione her hand back to her.

Ron watched the scene with a mix of awe, as the information sunk in, and annoyance, as Godric kissed his girlfriend's hand.

"And what is your name, fair lady?"

"H-Hermione Granger." She was so flustered to be standing in front of and talking to one of the founders, and the one her house was named for no less. "And this is my boyfriend, Ronald Weasley."

"It's just Ron." The boy said extending a hand to shake. He obviously had no clue how he was supposed to act around the man.

Godric reached out and took the teen's wrist. "It is an honor, Mister Weasley." When the hand shake ended G. looked like he was trying to remember something. "Now why does Weasley sound so familiar?" He asked himself tapping his chin. "Ah yes, I had a student by that name. And I see you have inherited his appearance."

Harry just stared at the man in disbelief. "So you've been trapped in there all this time? Merlin, I would've gone insane."

"Well I certainly did not step out of there with all my marbles." He chuckled, moving to rest his heavy arm on Draco's shoulders.

Harry smirked at the blond. "So, Draco Malfoy, poster-boy for Slytherin House, is in love with _the_ Gryffindor. Tell me how does it taste?"

"How does _what_ taste?" the blond asked in a snarky tone.

"Your foot." Harry chuckled.

Draco pursed his lips as Hermione and Ron started laughing. As he looked from one to the other he slowly relaxed, even giving a soft chuckle himself. "I don't know it's not bad; more like an acquired taste."

"Ha!" Godric burst into a rumbling laugh. It was as if Draco had just shared some inside joke.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you," Draco said after G. began to calm down. "But please don't tell anyone who he really is."

"Of course not; though, I'm sure everyone would be thrilled, it would be an unnecessary risk to your personal life." Hermione agreed for the group.

"Darn and I was going to tell everyone I shook Godric Gryffindor's hand." Ron said, disappointed.

"We should get going." Harry said before turning and heading towards the staircases.

As they walked they fell silent again until Draco broke it with a somber voice. "I suppose…Goyle and…Blaize…they're…"

"Let's not talk about it." Harry said over his shoulder. "We can concentrate on our losses after we've won this war."

**A/N:**_ Okay so don't forget to review! Next chapter is THE scene, so prepare yourself. LotsofLove! _


	66. Chapter 66 pt 1 and 2

**Pt. 1: TIME OF DYING **(Three Days Grace)

Severus stayed close to other high ranking Death Eaters. He wasn't sure what to do with himself. He felt so out of place among the mindless followers. He wished he was with Harry.

Severus looked up to see Lucius return from his private meeting with the Dark Lord. _Well, at least he survived, _thought Severus.

His dark gaze followed the blonde's movements. Lucius approached the potions master with a solemn expression.

"He wants to see you," were the words he said, "at the boat house."

Severus' only response was a dignified nod. He turned and gave the burning castle one last regarding look. The battle was raging as it had been for a good hour now. The Death Eaters had managed to break the protective wards over the school and the werewolves made a push from one side while the dark wizards pushed from the other.

Word had arrived that a good number of the pack had been eliminated when the jury-rigged explosives on the bridge had gone off.

Severus took a deep breath smelling the smoke that tainted the air all around.

Then he melted into a pillar of dark fog that rolled over itself. He floated, glided with easy speed through the air. In no time at all he was at the little boat house.

Voldemort was standing in the open while his pet snake was curled in a corner. Severus wouldn't have noticed her, if he hadn't been looking for the creature. Severus materialized, standing in a shaft of pale light. "You sent for me, my lord?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione were always the inseparable trio. Even now they were together; running through all the chaos, dodging hexes and curses left and right. Harry stumbled on some debris, and when he righted himself again giant spiders were crawling over the wall and into the battered courtyard.

It took almost no time at all for Ron to get as far away as he could. Hermione and harry were hot on his heels.

They reached the mountain of stairs that led to the docks. They took them two and three at a time, practically leaping down every flight.

It had been Ron's idea. Hermione didn't like it but he tried anyway. Harry sat down and concentrated. He threw himself into a Voldemort vision without any trouble at all. He found out where the man and his pet were.

The rough plan was to storm in and while Harry had him distracted, Hermione and Ron would sneak around kill the snake using the greater serpent's fangs.

Draco and Godric had taken up arms to help protect the school as best they could. They were desperately needed or else they would've been with the trio. That, and Draco didn't like the odds of encountering his father on the docks. And judging by the look on G.'s face when Lucius was mentioned, it probably wasn't a good idea for the founder to join them, either.

When they finally made it to the bottom of Mount Steps, they crouched against the weather worn wall of the boat house, sticking to the shadows. It was Harry first, leading the way as he often did. Hermione was in the middle, and Ron was protecting her back.

Dim pale light cast a rectangle on the ground from the window. Harry stopped at the edge of it and listened carefully.

"You, of course, My Lord."

Harry's eyes widened in shock. That was Severus' voice. Harry looked over his shoulder to see that Hermione and Ron recognized it as well.

A shadow moved across the light and peeked around the edge to see Severus' back.

"Does it, truly?" came Voldemort's hissing response. "Come now, Snape, you're a smart man."

"I assure you, My Lord, the wand answers only you." Severus sounded confident enough to be believed.

"I'm not sure about that." said Voldemort. "This wand, at one time, belonged to Albus Dumbledore, whom _you_ killed." Harry could see Severus tense at these words, but he didn't quite understand them himself. "So you see…" the dark wizard continued. "This wand belongs to _you_. Not me. So in order for it to comply with my commands…it's nothing personal, Snape."

Terror coursed through Harry's veins. His body reacted. He made a move to jump up, storm in and protect the man. But a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Harry turned to see Hermione's sympathetic expression. She shook her head, before embracing him tightly.

Harry hadn't realized he was crying.

He knew why they couldn't rush in and save the day. They needed the snake.

"Nagini." Voldemort's voice rung out over the silence like a gunshot.

Harry flinched. If they had gotten there sooner…if Severus hadn't had to play spy…there were so many "Ifs" that it was impossible for Harry to name them all.

There was a loud thud as Severus hit the glass window, and slid to the floor. Severus groaned in pain; his shadow was cast in the center of the rectangle on the ground.

Something snapped in Harry.

Everything turned red, and he was suddenly and violently shoving his friends, trying to get away to reach the man. He didn't care how loud he was, or if he hurt Hermione or Ron. All he cared about was the fact that Severus was hurting, Severus was in danger…

"[No, Nagini, don't eat that.]" Voldemort hissed in flawless parsletongue. "[It's been around far too many potions to be healthy for you.]"

Ron's hand covered Harry's mouth to quiet his furious roar.

"[Come.]" With the sound of fabric in a great wind, they were gone.

It was pointless. Waiting had been utterly pointless. Voldemort and the snake had gotten away.

Harry was on his feet and running in the same instant Hermione and Ron had released him.

He found his way into the boat house and saw Severus sprawled on the floor, leaning against the window. Blood soaked the front of his robes and he looked paler than usual. The teen was by his side in a heartbeat. He dropped to his knees and took the man's face in his hands.

Slowly, very slowly, Severus' eyes opened to a groggy and pain filled half-lidded stare.

"Ha-ry…" his voice was rough, like sand paper. Blood colored his lips a rosy red. Tears filled his eyes as he looked on at his young love.

"Shh…" Harry tried to silence him. He turned to look for Hermione. He found her beside Ron about a yard away. "Get me something!" he shouted. "Dittany, anything!"

Hermione shook her head, silent tears running down her cheeks.

"Hermione!" Harry screamed. A weak hand gently touched his face, making him turn back to Severus.

"Take them…" he said in that rough voice. "Please, take them." He motioned widely at his face and the tears he found there.

"Hand me a vial or flask." Harry said, blinking away the moisture in his eyes.

Hermione stepped close and handed him a tiny vial she had pulled out of her bag.

Harry caught the tears with a shaking hand. When he had enough he handed it back to Hermione; who corked it.

"Harry…I…"

"Shh, you shouldn't waste your energy." Harry combed Severus' hair back, out of his face.

"I…love you…"

Harry couldn't stay calm anymore; he broke into sobs and clung to the man. "I love you too!" he wailed while rocking back and forth with the dying potions master in his arms.

"The Bezoars!" shouted Hermione. She fumbled in her bag and pulled out the box of Bezoars Snape had given her in exchange for the Time-Turner. "Here make him swallow one!"

She handed Harry one and he quickly held the small stone the man's lips and tilted his head back. "Here, take this."

Severus opened his mouth and Harry dropped the Bezoar in it. Severus struggled to swallow, but after a long ordeal of watching the pain cross his face, Harry was relieved when Severus finally managed it.

"Some Dittany too," Ron suggested, "For the bleeding."

"_Accio_ Dittany!" Hermione called out and then knelt down next to Harry.

Harry quickly pulled at the man's torn robes until he was completely bare from the waist up.

Hermione leaned forwards and let a few drops fall on each puncture mark. In no time at all each wound was nothing more than inflamed and sunken in scars. After the bleeding was taken care of they decided to take him back to the castle.

Somewhere between the docks and the top of the steps Severus lost consciousness

They weaved through the battle field for a second time and charged into the Great Hall. It didn't look so great anymore. Dead bodies were laid under woolen blankets while the injured were being tended to by those unable to fight and other injured.

Harry found Poppy stressing over a red headed figure lying in a cot.

"Madame Pomfrey!" he shouted over the chaos.

"Is that…" Ron trailed off as he eyes the bloody figure. "It is! Fred!"

Ron and Harry had been carrying Severus together Ron had the man's feet while Harry had his shoulders. But when Ron saw his brother on the verge of death, the redhead quickly placed his load on the ground and took off towards his family.

Hermione gave Harry a look and the boy nodded. "Go on." He said, "We'll be here." With that the bushy-haired girl followed her boyfriend to support him.

Harry gently and slowly lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the floor with the father of his daughter in his lap.

He was still breathing so that was a good sign. Harry combed Severus' hair with his fingers, brushing it out of his face.

The hall was so crowded it was impossible not to draw attention to himself. No doubt the onlookers were curious as to why Harry was fussing over Snape. But they didn't understand. Severus had played his role perfectly, and so, as a result he was hated.

But not by Harry. "[I love you.]" he whispered in the man's ear. "[Stay with me, please, don't leave me.]"

Harry looked up to see McGonagall, standing a short distance away. Understanding was in her eyes. Of course she would figure it out. Anyone who was in the know would've just by looking at them.

Harry's green eyes turned pleading and the woman hurried towards them.

"What's happened?" she asked.

**PT. 2: OH DEATH **(Jen Titus version)

**A/N:**_Oh, Death, оh Death, oh Death,  
Won't you spare me over til another year_

But what is this, that I can

_'t see  
with ice cold hands taking hold of me_

_When God is gone and the Devil takes hold,  
who will have mercy on your soul_

Oh, Death, оh Death, oh Death,  
No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold  
Nothing satisfies me but your soul

Oh, Death,  
Well I am Death, none can excel,  
I'll open the door to heaven or hell.

Oh, Death, оh Death,  
my name is Death and the end is here...

Severus opened his eyes slowly, feeling like he was under the _Cruciatus_ curse. It took him a long time for his vision to focus on the face above him and even longer to recognize it.

The know-it-all's tear-stained face smiled sadly down at him.

_Oh no…_he thought. It had happened. "Where's…" he started, his voice hoarse and throat raw, but decided on a different question. "Is he…Has he…" but couldn't seem to get the words out.

Granger shook her head, her bushy curls toppling around her face. "Don't know yet." She said in a strangled sob. "He's gone to meet Voldemort, alone, in the forest."

Severus turned away from the girl. Every sound seemed to echo as if he were under water. His eyes stung painfully as he tried to hold his tears back. He was vulnerable right now and didn't like it. He concentrated and turned his grief inward on itself. It ate away until it was nothing but pure rage.

"You knew…all this time you knew, but you didn't say anything…why?" he could just barely make out what the girl was saying only because she was so close to him.

"He told me not to." He growled out. "That manipulative son of a bitch told me to wait until the very end to tell Harry." Saying his name was a bad idea. The grief and agony sprang back up.

"Dumbledore?"

Severus didn't answer. He didn't feel the need to or trust his voice for that matter.

After a minute Granger moved. "Hold on, I'll get Poppy. I know she hid back a bottle of pain reliever for you."

When he determined that the girl was gone, Severus moved, forcing himself to sit up. He grimaced in pain as he did but it was nothing compared to the agony at losing his beloved. The man looked down at his bare chest, taking note of every bandage he found there. The one around his neck was thickest, making it hard to turn his head

What was he going to do now that Harry was gone? He couldn't remember. All he knew was that he wanted to be with him, no…_needed_ to be with him. It was too painful otherwise.

That was when he noticed the people around him. Hundreds of injured witches and wizards were lying on cots or sitting on benches; most of them were students. Even more were grieving or tending to the one in bandages. And a good portion was glaring at him.

He didn't care… as a matter of fact he didn't care about anything; unless you included Harry. And there was something else. Something really important, but he supposed it wasn't anymore if it was so easily blinded by his pain.

"Here we are, Severus." Poppy's kind voice sounded from somewhere behind him.

He didn't bother to greet her as she approached but he noticed that Minerva had taken Granger's place. And both women sat down next to him.

"Drink this," Poppy said holding out a vial of pain reliever.

"I don't want it." Severus snarled. He looked at the floor in front of him and never looked up at the women.

"I find it hard to believe you're not in pain." said the nurse.

"Doesn't matter," he growled, "others need that more than I do."

Minerva sighed and he could practically hear her roll her eyes. "Oh please, you have to take care of yourself, Severus."

"Who says?" he challenged.

Both women were shocked to hear this.

"But Severus-"

"Go away, both of you!" he snapped. "there's nothing you can give me to ease the pain of losing him forever…except, perhaps, death."

"Severus Tobias Snape!" Minerva scolded. "I will not listen to this a moment more! Think of your daughter you fool!"

Severus' eyes widened in surprise. Clarity washed over him like a cool, refreshing shower. Of course! How could he have allowed himself to forget? Scarlet needed her father to take care of her.

And it wasn't like he'd lost Harry completely. She was half Harry, really. And how would the teen feel if he could see the way Severus was acting?

Severus felt like more than a fool, he felt like a grade A ass.

He reached up and rested his forehead in his palm. "Scarlet…"

"Yes, your daughter. How do you think she's going to grow up in a world like this without any parents?"

"Alright, Minerva, I get it." Severus dropped his hand, reaching with the other to take the potion. "How did you figure it out? That I was the father?" He uncorked the vial and downed the half-dose in one swallow.

"It wasn't that hard, once we saw the two of you together." Poppy commented.

"The way he worried over you, and made absolutely certain that you were comfortable and would be fine before he left your side." Minerva added.

Severus looked around and noticed the utter lack of combat going on. "What's happened?" he asked in a solemn tone.

Minerva and Poppy exchanged looks before the Gryffindor's head of house answered. "A cease-fire was called when Voldemort challenged Harry. He said if Harry gave himself up then no one else would have to die for him. At first he wasn't going to fall for it, but something changed his mind."

Severus knew exactly what that something was. The memories he had given to him weren't only the ones he had stolen from him over a year ago, but some of his own. The most important being when Dumbledore explained that Harry was a Horcrux, and for the Dark Lord to be defeated Harry had to die.

Severus felt grief burn away at his insides. "How long ago did he go?" he asked in a low tone of voice.

"Ten more minutes would make an hour." came Poppy's sorrowful response.

Severus shouldn't have asked. He quickly decided to change the subject. "I'm surprised the two of you aren't angrier with me. Harry was only fourteen, after all, when our relationship started. You'd figure the two of you would have more than a few words to say to me."

"Well," Minerva took a deep breath. "It's true the idea is appalling." She said, without holding anything back. "Disgusting really. It's definitely not something I would normally condone. However, we fully understand that it wouldn't have been helped."

"I don't understand, how do you know about that?" the man asked.

"There was a book in the library." Minerva explained. "Mind you it was pretty vague and filled with nothing but theories from the author. He didn't have much to go on. But he did say that out of every 'known' same-sex pregnancies, the maternal figure never survived the birthing process."

"Until Harry." Poppy added.

They were silent for a long moment before Severus spoke. "That's because he was supposed to have another…a boy."

Before they could respond to that, Longbottom rushed into the large room shouting at the top of his lungs. "They're back! They're coming back!"

Everyone was up in a flash; anxious to see what's developed. Minerva helped Severus to his feet. The crowd, who was able, grouped together in the court yard and watched the large mass of black robes making their way towards the castle; crossing the grounds. Severus stood at the back of the group; leaning heavily against the stone wall he was higher than the others because he was standing on the stairs; so he was able to see everyone almost perfectly.

Longbottom and Lovegood were towards the front, holding hands. Longbottom had the tattered sorting hat in his free hand. Ron Weasley and Know-it-all were close by. The youngest Weasley and her boyfriend Dean Thomas were battered and bleeding. Thomas even had a bandage wrapped around his head.

Severus looked out towards the enemy; there was a very large figure that was unmistakably the half giant, Hagrid. Sometime while the potion master was unconscious the Death Eaters must have captured the gentle man.

They could hear his wailing all the way from the edge of the forbidden forest. As the dark wizards approached, everyone could see that Hagrid was carrying something; and that something was very limp.

Severus swallowed thickly and took a deep breath to try and calm himself. It didn't help so he closed his eyes. A few moments later he could hear everyone's sobs. "No" and "It can't be" floated amongst the sounds of grief.

Slowly Severus opened his eyes; he instantly knew he shouldn't have.

Hagrid was a babbling mess while the limp and lifeless figure in his arms grew colder. Harry's sunken and pale face was resting against the half-giant's arm. Dark bruise-like circles around his eyes made his face look skull like. He was covered in dirt and there was dried blood on his forehead.

Voldemort was at the head of the pack. He stepped forward and then with a sneer as cold and evil as his heart he shouted for everyone to hear. "Harry Potter…is dead!"

And then there was nothing. Severus felt…nothing. It was as if the moment those words tainted the air around them everything in his chest was sucked out of him. But the Dark Lord was still talking; addressing the group, but Severus wasn't listening. His dark eyes were locked on Harry's face. Every sense was honed in on the boy. Something wasn't right.

"Draco, my boy…come." Voldemort hissed.

Severus tore his eyes from his dead love and followed the dark wizard's gaze.

His nephew was standing very close to a familiar looking man, but Severus couldn't quite place him. The blond was trembling in fear but the man moved; resting his arm around the teen's shoulders. Draco visibly relaxed, leaning into him.

This must be Draco's lover. He was definitely too old for the blond. Severus mildly wondered how and where they might've met. Hogsmeade probably.

"Draco!" growled Lucius, causing every head to turn to him. "Come here, now!"

"Come along, Draco," said Narcissa, raising her hand out to her son. "It's alright."

Draco shook his head and turned to hide his face in the bearded man's chest.

There was a moment where Severus just watched the couple. For some reason he was very satisfied that the man was taking such good care of his nephew.

"Narcissa, what are you doing?" Lucius exclaimed.

Narcissa had taken a few steps into the open and stopped to answer her husband. "I'm going to be with my son." She said, holding her head high. She took a few more paces into the no man's land between the two groups. "It's what a mother must do."

The look on Voldemort's face as he watched the woman draw closer to the other group was un-readable.

The Dark Wizard raised his wand, Draco shouted, "No!" and Voldemort cut Narcissa's life short. She crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap; but there was a smile on her face. She was at peace with herself. She had made her stand and was happy.

Draco wailed, tears streaming down his face. The man was holding him tightly so the blond couldn't run down to his dead mother.

When things managed to settle down Neville Longbottom stepped into the empty space; shocking everyone at his decision to switch sides. But it turned out all he wanted to do was give everyone a motivation speech. It made the dark witches and wizards laugh, but warmed the others giving them all a little fighting spirit.

Severus didn't really pay attention. He was too busy ignoring him. the man looked everywhere except at the half-giant and Harry's body. He saw Lucius' drawn face; and Bellatrix's cackling one. His dark gaze landing on Sirius Black. The man had tears on his face, streaking through the dirt and soot. His arms were wrapped around Remus Lupin who was doing his best to control himself. From where Severus was at he could see that Sirius' arm was badly injured; his fingers were obviously broken. And Lupin was having such a hard time not only because of the grief but tomorrow night was the full moon and since it was so close there was no doubt that the wolf was strong and trying to break free. That would also explain why the werewolves fighting for Voldemort were so strong.

Suddenly there was a commotion, drawing Severus' attention to Longbottom. He had pulled the sword from the sorting hat just like Harry had done years ago.

There was a quick movement on the edge of Severus' vision he looked before he could stop himself.

Harry Potter was standing proudly on his own two legs, chin held high and wand aimed at the Dark Lord.

**A/N:**_ Holy Moley! I think __that__ was the longest chapter I've written so far. I'll have to check. Just FYI I've had this chapter written, (or really planned out), for months! I'd constantly go back and add something or change something else. That's why it's so beefy! Mmm beef; it's what's for dinner. Tasty! So if you haven't heard of these two songs, My Time of Dying by Three Days Grace, and Oh Death the Jen Titus version, I strongly suggest checking them out. Send me an email, review, comment, whatever, and let me know what you think of this chapter and these songs. _

_Lots of Love!_


	67. Chapter 67 THE END

**CHAPTER 67: HERE'S TO US (by Halestorm)**

Harry's eyes opened in a flash and he quickly rolled out of Hagrid's arms. He landed on the ground just in front of the startled half-giant's feet. The once deceased teen righted himself, pulling out his wand and aiming it at the Dark Lord.

"It's not possible." He heard Voldemort say to himself.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry could see some Deatheaters vanish into smoke and fly away as fast as they could.

"I killed you!" Voldemort screamed. With a clawed and skeletal hand he lifted the Elder Wand, aiming it at the very much alive boy.

"Well I do have a reputation as 'The Boy Who Lived'." Harry retorted, matching the demon's motions.

"Impossible!"

More Deatheaters were making their retreat, making the Dark Lord obviously nervous. Those who were able, like Ron, Hermione and Neville, moved around the courtyard, holding their wands at the ready until Voldemort and Harry were trapped in the middle.

That's when the snake attacked. Someone tried to curse it before its deadly bite could land on Harry but the magic just rolled off the serpent; like water on a goose's feathers.

Harry dived out of the way just in time; rolling back onto his feet and keeping his wand on Voldemort. But the dark wizard was too busy deflecting curses and hexes from the surrounding army. So Harry was able to dodge Nagini; keeping his attention focused on the snake.

"Harry!" someone shouted from behind him. The voice didn't sound too familiar; it was gravely and hoarse.

Harry rolled out of the way of another strike and came up where he could see who thought it was so important to talk to him at the moment.

Severus Snape had his wand aimed at Voldemort.

Harry was glad to see him awake and well but now really wasn't the time for chitchat. "What?" he yelled back.

Voldemort was trying to attack Harry but he was having enough trouble keeping himself in one piece.

"Disarm the bastard!" Severus shouted before throwing an Expeliarmus spell at Voldemort. The others around him followed his example. Of course! It was brilliant if they could manage it.

Every free moment Harry had he tossed disarming spell after disarming spell at the demon.

It went on like that for a long while; Voldemort just barely managing himself. All of a sudden Neville ran forward into the courtyard with Gryffindor's sword clutched in his adrenaline-induced grip.

"Don't be a fool!" G. shouted. The man caught up to the teen before he could get himself killed. "You do not even know how to use this weapon." He took the sword from Neville and ran into the clearing.

"No!" Draco shouted but Neville stopped the blond from running after him.

"Harry Potter, focus on the monster!" G. shouted as he drew closer to Harry. "I will put an end to the serpent!"

When Godric stepped between Harry and Nagini, the teen turned his attention to Voldemort.

"Prepare to die, beast!" G. shouted. If Harry wasn't otherwise occupied at the moment he would've taken the time to laugh or roll his eyes at the man's theatrics. Yes, he was definitely THE Gryffindor.

Somehow during the fight Nagini had ended up a good three yards away from G. To Harry's surprise the man lifted his mighty weapon high above his head. Just when Harry thought G. was going to charge forward, like Brave heart with a crazed battle cry, the man brought the sword down and struck the ground in front of himself. All logic said that there was no way that that attack would find Nagini. But when metal met stone the ground cracked and wind blew. All of G.'s magic was forced out in a great, red, fan-shaped, burst of energy. Anything it touched was split in two, including Nagini.

The two halves of the snake's body flopped around in post-mortem spasms.

Voldemort let out a cry of agony and Severus took his chance to disarm the villain.

"Expeliarmus!" he shouted and the Elder Wand flew out of the Dark Lord's hand. "Accio!" Severus caught the wand in his empty hand and before Voldemort could react, "Avada Kedavra!" Severus shouted.

Lord Voldemort dropped in a lifeless heap in the dirt. The witches and wizards that surrounded the battle-worn courtyard erupted in cheers and tears.

It was over! Finally over.

And Harry had a date to get to.

The teen watched his love take an unsteady step forward and then another, and another. Bandages or not Severus was dead sexy without a shirt.

"Harry…" the man said when he had gotten close enough. Everyone was in the throes of celebration so they couldn't hear their conversation. "I thought…I mean you were suppose to…"

"Change of plan." Harry smiled and lifted his hand showing the new ring he was wearing. The stone was as black as death itself.

"The Resurrection Stone." Severus said. It wasn't a question because there was no doubt.

Harry wanted to jump into the man's arms, but judging by the bandages he decided that wouldn't be a good idea. Instead he stepped forward and let his head fall until his forehead was pressed to Severus' sternum.

The man's arms wrapped, gently, around Harry's small frame. The teen took a deep breath, inhaling his lover's scent.

"I love you." Severus said into his young love's crazy hair.

Harry smiled, "I love you too."

"Cleared of all charges!" the new Minister for Magic said, letting his mallet fall.

Severus stood and gave the members of the hearing a respectful bow, and then one specifically for the minister. The effects of the Verritaserum were just fading away, but it didn't matter. Severus was never going to lie again. So long as he was breathing the only words that were coming out of his mouth were the truth.

He turned and began walking out of the room. The entire hearing was private, not even Harry had been allowed in. And every member in the room was sworn to secrecy; agreeing on pain of death not to divulge anything heard inside the room to anyone.

Severus opened the door and stepped into flashes of light, and the presence of a cheering crowd. The masses were being held back by ministry police force. Thankfully Harry and a few others were on this side of the barrier, waiting for him.

Harry was leaning over a beautiful stroller trying to hush the crying baby the crowd had woken up.

Severus crossed the distance and pulled Harry to him.

Harry's smile was bright and happy as Severus lifted his young love in the air and spun around. Of course the crowd ate it up, but Severus didn't care. The only people in the whole world who mattered to him were Harry and Scarlet. Everyone else could kiss his ass.

When he finally put Harry down he captured the teen's lips in a beautiful kiss. Harry quickly ended it however, trying to keep up a modest appearance, but the blush on his cheeks was proof of his approval.

"I'm trying very hard not to throttle you right now." Came Sirius' voice.

Severus turned around to see Remus holding the now calm Scarlet; and Sirius with a sour expression.

"The only reason I haven't, as of yet, is because of this beauty queen right here." Sirius started playing peek-a-boo with Severus' daughter.

She seemed rather un-entertained by the whole thing.

"Like you and Lupin are any better." Severus retorted his arm snaking around Harry's waist.

Sirius looked up then, giving up on peek-a-boo. "At least I'm not shoving our relationship down his godfather's throat. And at least we get a room. It's not my fault Remus is so loud."

The fore-mentioned werewolf blushed crimson before passing Scarlet over to her father.

Severus wasn't very good at baby holding but he was getting better. He smiled at her hazel eyes and the way her fine hair curled at the ends making it stick up in places. Her emerald green dress matched the bow in her hair; that was having trouble staying in. the green dress had been Severus' idea, and it was his favorite to see her in. of course Harry preferred maroon colors on their daughter.

"We should get going." Harry suggested after a moment. "We've planned a party for you."

Severus groaned, "Do we have to?" he asked. "We could just hide."

"Yes you have to." Harry said emphasizing the fact that it was Severus who was being forced. "Mrs. Weasley has been cooking all morning."

"And we cleaned my house just for it." Sirius protested.

After several attempts, on Severus' part, to barter his way out of the party, they were escorted to a safe and private location to apparate.

One year and seven months later…

Severus was upstairs putting Scarlet to bed. They had just bought her a "big girl" bed but she was having trouble staying the whole night in it. It didn't take the two year old very long to fall back asleep; however.

Severus smiled down at his daughter it was almost a year ago that her last name was changed to Snape, along with Harry's. It had been a simple wedding, nothing grand or over the top; just a hand full of friends and a ministry ordained wizard to make it all legal.

Harry looked stunning in his formal robes and when Severus' eyes fell on him it was as if there was no one else in the world.

The reception was just as simple; held at the tiny cottage on the beach where Scarlet was born. Molly Weasley, or Nah-Nah as Scarlet had named her, did most of the cooking.

After Harry had gotten pregnant for the second time, the couple decided to start looking for a larger house. They still hadn't found anything but the plan was that their son could share a room with Scarlet until they found one.

It wasn't long after, that they were attending Draco's wedding. Severus still got a sour taste every time he thought of their obvious age difference. And he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something Draco wasn't telling him about the man. But he never spoke on it, because he and Harry were just as bad; and besides G. never did anything worse than spoil Severus' nephew. And since the man began shaving he at least looks closer to Draco's age.

Severus who had been sitting on the edge of the tiny bed, stood up. He leaned over and brushed one of Scarlet's curls out of her face. She was so beautiful even the nose she inherited from him looked good on her. And she definitely had his personality. She was far too literal for a toddler.

All of a sudden Severus felt a sharp pain behind his eyes and everything went black. No…not black, just dark. Severus was lying in his bed? But this pain…he knew this pain.

Suddenly he was back upstairs with his daughter and the pain was gone.

He took the stairs three at a time jumping the last ones. He was across the living room and in the bedroom in a flash.

Harry was curled up in the center of their bed clutching his belly.

"S-Severus…" he groaned out.

Something was very wrong. It wasn't time to have the baby. Harry was only seven months along; almost eight.

"Call them!" Harry said with a pain filled expression.

Severus knew who he meant for his husband to call. He quickly pulled out his wand and summoned his patronus sending it to Molly Weasley first then Minerva and Poppy.

Of course they weren't the only three to show up.

Severus was on the bed with Harry in his arms when he heard what sounded like a stampede running up the stairs from his basement.

Severus had allowed the entire Weasley family floo access to their house, because they were Harry's family.

But not only did the entire Weasley family tree burst into Severus' bedroom, or Poppy and Minerva, but Sirius Black and his long term lover Remus Lupin came in; fussing over Harry. It was Lupin who shooed everyone into the living room.

Fluer offered to watch Scarlet.

It was the same three women as last time with the help of Severus, that tended to the birth. The whole ordeal was filled with pain and blood. It was very complicated but Harry managed to survive, if just barely.

Dalton Albus Snape was very small, and for the first year it was touch and go with him. But he grew up healthy and strong just a little on the small side. For what he lacked in size he made up for with his wild personality.

By the time he was ten years old he had already broken his arm, collarbone, leg and wrist; at separate times of course; all from obstacles he attempted to climb.

Scarlet was much calmer. She had a more refined sense of humor. She very rarely laughed at a joke but when she told one it was likely to be the funniest you've ever heard.

With everything that happened during the war it became difficult to conceal the wizarding world from the muggles. The English Prime Minister held a press conference and announced the information to the world. Soon after, other countries did the same. Sure enough chaos followed.

Anti-magic separatist groups formed, some, peaceful protesters, others radical terrorists. Anti-muggle groups rose up in retaliation and soon enough it was civil war throughout the world

The attack on Hogsmeade was the greatest victory for the anti-magic movement and the worst defeat for witches and wizards everywhere. The anti-muggle groups received quite a bit of support after that.

The way things were going the next world war was only days away. But something amazing happened.

Scarlet was inducted as Prime Minister for the wizarding community of England. Dalton and Draco's son were heading the equal rights defense force and together the three of them managed to bring peace to the world. Scarlet had a way with words; she could have easily turned every witch or wizard against the muggle populace with one speech. But being raised by Harry and Severus had taught her a few things.

Seven years after a world-wide peace treaty had been signed by almost every nation, muggle and magic alike, Scarlet Lily Snape married Tristan Cole Malfoy; Draco's and G.'s son.

Harry and Severus became proud grandpas almost two years later.

Just because a piece of paper declared that there was no war didn't mean there weren't still terrorists on both sides. But despite all this, muggles and magic folk were able to live side by side.

Harry, whose body had been weakened by the pregnancies, died at the age of 74. Of course the average age of most wizards is 150 years. Severus was 106 at the time, he lived a short while without his love; enough to reach his 107th birthday. He passed away only two weeks later.

They were buried side by side on Hogwarts grounds. There was a nice shaded place just on the outside of the forbidden forest; a small little hill that overlooked the Black Lake. Their head stones served as a memorial for all the future Hogwarts students to visit and remember.

Harry's read, "Here lies Harry James Snape, the savior of the wizarding world, father of Scarlet Lily Snape and Dalton Albus Snape, husband to Severus Snape."

Severus' read, "Here lies Severus Tobias Snape, potions master, father of Scarlet Lily Snape and Dalton Albus Snape, spy for the Order of the Phoenix, husband to Harry James Snape; THE BRAVEST MAN WE EVER KNEW."

~THE END~

**A/N:**_ I just want to thank everyone so much for sticking with me through thick and thin. you've been here for me through some pretty hard times. Remember when my boyfriend broke up with me? and then remember when he came crawling back? remember when i went to work for the summer in Colorado and there was hardly any internet access? (that was rough) remember when i moved to be with him? remember when i got married? you were here for it all. and for the newcomers you are equally as important to me. it's hard to believe that this story started out as nothing more than a teenage girl's yaoi-loving fantasy. but sixty-seven chapters later, here we are. All of us. The story of course isn't finished without you. so, HERE'S TO US. _

_Thank you. _

_aixelsyD_


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